Adityanath appeals to people to unite against casteism

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath garlanded the statue of Sant Ravidas today and also offered floral tributes to a statue of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the Sant Ravidas temple here.

He appealed to the people to unite against casteism and explained the meaning of "Buddham Sharanam Gachchami".

Adityanath said, "2,500 years ago, Lord Buddha had spoken about taking refuge in Dharma, which in other words means taking refuge in moral values and good conduct. He had also spoken about taking refuge in Buddhi (wisdom) and for that, one has to be educated. Babasaheb Ambedkar had also said the same thing that if we had to challenge the social ignorance, we needed to get educated and that cannot be done through violence."

Adityanath also said, "Lord Buddha had said to take refuge in Sangh, which means association. If we are divided in the name of caste, we can head towards slavery as the country had become a slave in the past. Today, the anti-national forces are coming together and it will not only drag us towards difficulties, but also pose a threat to the country's independence. We need to get united and Lord Buddha had told us this 2,500 years ago."

Stating that the power used to suppress the poor and weak was not the power Buddha had talked about, the BJP leader said, "It is immaterial which caste you were born into, what matter are your deeds. If a person of a so-called high caste indulges in bad work, he cannot be counted among the good people."

The chief minister also narrated a story of Sant Ravidas.

 

"Once Sant Ravidas had sent someone to offer ikanni (one annah) to Maa Ganga and she had accepted it with both hands, which had come out of the river. When Maa Ganga can accept the offerings of Ravidas, it means that there is no room for untouchability and casteism," he said.

Pointing out that the Pokhran nuclear tests were conducted on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Adityanath said, "(Former prime minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji had given a befitting reply to Pakistan after the Pokhran tests, which were conducted on Buddha Purnima.