Adityanath also said that during his 11-month tenure as chief minister of UP, no one has been stopped from celebrating Eid or Christmas.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said everyone has the right to practice and follow his faith and he, being a Hindu, has every right to visit religious places like Ayodhya and Mathura.
After taking stock of the security arrangements at Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura on Saturday, Adityanath also said that during his 11-month tenure, no one has been stopped from celebrating Eid or Christmas.
“Everyone has the freedom to practice or follow his or her religion and I, being a Hindu, have the right to visit places like Ayodhya and Mathura,” the chief minister said when asked as to whether he would celebrate Eid after celebrating Diwali at Ayodhya and Holi at Mathura.
“I have not stopped anyone from celebrating Eid or Christmas during my 11-month tenure as chief minister. Everyone has freedom to practice his religion and there is no harm in developing religious spots as tourist destination,” he said.
“Diwali is celebrated in Ayodhya, Holi in Mathura, Dev Diwali in Varanasi, Kumbh in Prayagraj and Ramayan Mela in Chitrakoot and we would continue going there,” he said.
Stating that he was proud of the rich cultural traditions and heritage of religious spots, Adityanath said he would ensure measures are taken for their conservation and growth.
On the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, the chief minister discussed security measures with officials.
“We would improve arrangements here and would address the security measures, so that those having intention to create tension or to damage security will not succeed,” Adityanath said.
The temple shares a boundary wall with a mosque. Right wing activists have in the past demanded “freeing” of these locations.
Amidst heavy security, Adityanath reached Mathura on Friday evening and attended the Rasotsav presented by Mathura MP and actor Hema Malini at a veterinary institute. Noted musicians, including Pandit Jasraj and Hariprasad Chaurasia, performed there.
In the morning, he inspected the security arrangements at the temple. Devotees’ movement was restricted while CM was inside temple from 7.30 am.
