UP CM Yogi Adityanath plans mega Diwali in Ayodhya

Yogi Adityanath tells Zee News that the celebrations have no connection with the Ramjanmabhoomi dispute and that it is a matter of pride to connect with Ayodhya's illustrious past.

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will celebrate Diwali in Ayodhya this year. Speaking to Zee News, he steered clear of controversies and highlighted that the celebrations had no link with the Ramjanmabhoomi dispute. 

CM Adityanath will spend Diwali with his supporters in Ayodhya and said that major work is already underway to spruce up the ghats there. In a bid to enter Guinness World Record, close to two lakh earthen lamps would also be lit. "Ramayan is 10,000 years old and Ayodhya is an integral part of it. It was a developed city even back then and people continue to come here from all over. To connect with its illustrious past is a matter of pride for us," he said. " Ayodhya is a matter of faith for us and Ram is an idol."

Refusing that the question of Ram Mandir here is an election issue, Adityanath said that Supreme Court's decision should be waited for. "Uttar Pradesh government isn't party to the Ayodhya dispute. We are not interfering in the disputed area and whatever the Supreme Court decides should be acceptable to all."

Adityanath also said that it is not just Ayodhya but the development of the entire state that his government is working on. "Our mission is the development of the whole of Uttar Pradesh linked to our heritage. We want to establish a meeting point between the ancient and the modern," he said.