'Sanatan Dharma Is Rashtriya Dharma Of Bharat': Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday (13 September) said that Sanatana Dharma is the national religion of Bharat.

Amid controversial comments made by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatana Dharma, Adityanath expressed his disappointment that some individuals in India continue to insult this ancient religion that has faced attacks throughout history.

During the unveiling ceremony of the Dhwajstambh (flagstaff) at Nath temple in Indore, the UP Chief Minister emphasised that Sanatana Dharma is the national religion of Bharat and its perpetuity cannot be questioned.

“Sanatan Dharma is the Rashtriya dharma [national religion] of Bharat. No one can question its perpetuity,” the UP Chief Minister said, news agency PTI reported.

He further highlighted that just as Sanatana Dharma has been under attack since ancient times, the existence and reality of God have also been subjected to doubt and questioning.

"It is unfortunate that even today many people living in Bharat are humiliating Sanatana Dharma. They do not miss any opportunity to attack Indian values, ideals and principles," CM Yogi Adityanath said.

"Even Ravan had also tried to attack the reality of God but what was the result? Ravan was destroyed by his ego,” he said.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, a DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister, sparked controversy by claiming that Sanatana Dharma is against social justice and that it should be eradicated.

Likening Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria and dengue, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin - said such things should not be opposed but destroyed.

Another leader of the DMK party, A Raja, drew a parallel between Sanatana Dharma and diseases such as leprosy.

A former minister during the UPA regime, Raja also said that Udhayanidhi's remark was soft.

CM Yogi said that Babar had tried to demolish the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. However, after a span of 500 years, a grand temple is now being constructed at the sacred site of Ram Janmabhoomi.

According to him, the term "Hindu" is not just a religious word but also a cultural identity for Indians.

"Unfortunately, some people have tried to bring the Hindu identity within a narrow ambit," he said.

Amidst a political discussion on the topic of "Bharat vs India," the BJP leader emphasised that the country has been historically referred to as Bharat and its citizens have been known as "Hindus."

"When Muslims from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh go to Mecca for performing Haj, they are addressed as Hindus in Saudi Arabia," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh CM also commended British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who recently visited India for the G-20 summit, for proudly embracing his Hindu identity.

“Sunak says he is proud to be a Hindu. He has no hesitation in going to the temple, worshipping Gau Mata [cow], sitting in the presence of sants and saying Jai Shri Ram and Jai Siya Ram because his heritage is linked to the sanskara [values] and roots of the Sanatana Dharma”, he added.

This is not the first time that the Uttar Pradesh CM has called the Santan Dharma as the "Rashtriya Dharma" of India.

Earlier in January this year, while addressing a public gathering at Neelkanth Mahadev Temple Bhinmal in Rajasthan's Jalore, the UP CM had said that "Sanathan Dharma is India's national religion", and urged people to restore India's glory by restoring religious places.