NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday proclaimed that what belongs to the Hindus must be rightly restored after he said that 54 out of 67 pilgrimage sites were reclaimed in Sambhal district due to the government’s efforts.
During his address in the assembly, Yogi pulled up the Samajwadi Party for “playing” with India’s religious sentiments as he slammed the leader of opposition in the assembly Mata Prasad Pandey for calling him “communal”.
“There were once 67 pilgrimage sites and 19 wells in Sambhal. Over time, many were lost. But we have now reclaimed 54 of these heritage sites. What belongs to us must be rightfully restored,” Yogi said.
“Truth is often bitter, but one must have the courage to accept it,” he added.
UP CM also accused Samajwadi Party of straying away from the values of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
“Ram, Krishna, and Shankar are the guiding ideals of India. As long as Indians revere these three great figures, the country will remain strong. But the SP has no faith in them because it has always tampered with India’s religious sentiments,” Yogi said.
“Lohia had said that a true socialist must remain detached from wealth and lineage. But we all can see how SP has strayed from this principle,” he added.
This comes days after the authorities intensified efforts to transform Sambhal, believed to be the place where Lord Kalki, the tenth and final incarnation of Lord Vishnu, will be born into a major religious and tourist destination.
Also read: ‘City of Kalki’: 41 pilgrimage sites & 19 wells ‘recovered’, admin eyes big Sambhal revamp
Under the Bandhan scheme and other state tourism initiatives, officials have so far “recovered” 41 pilgrimage sites and 19 ancient wells. They have also rediscovered Amarpati Kheda, an ASI-protected heritage site that had been “missing” for 75 years.
The site includes Dadhichi Ashram and 21 samadhis, one of which is believed to be that of Prithviraj Chauhan’s guru, Amarpati.
Following the violence in the district, officials conducted comprehensive land survey and heritage assessment. According to officials, the surveys revealed d several missing or neglected pilgrimage sites and ASI-protected monuments.
The findings prompted the administration to accelerate efforts to reclaim and restore these locations, integrating them into a broader religious tourism plan.
Sambhal currently has nine ASI-protected monuments, and plans are underway to restore and develop many of these locations to boost religious tourism.