Apologize to saints, devotees before visiting Ayodhya: Adityanath before Akhilesh’s visit
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday (Nov 07, 2026) that “those who shot at Ram devotees lathicharged the saints” should visit the Ram temple only after apologizing to the devotees and saints.
The chief minister’s remark came within hours of an announcement that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12.
“Those who neglected and insulted (Ayodhya), who opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected the saint to lathicharge should definitely come to Ayodhya, but only after apologizing. Let them apologize once to Ram devotees and once to the saints. Let them repent for their actions,” Mr. Adityanath said in the 10th edition of Ayodhya.
The event was attended by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and Governor Anandiben Patel among others.
While Mr. Adityanath made the allegations, he did not name the SP or his chief.
At the same time, he appeared to be referring to Mr Yadav’s recent appearance at a religious address in Ayodhya.
“Those who left the streets of Ayodhya soaked in blood today are unable to even remember their own past,” Mr Adityanath said, adding “some people did not even understand the decorum” of religious discourse.
“Sometimes I wonder about these people. When they go to a religious discourse, they don’t even know the decorum of ‘katha’ (religious narration). Is it katha or mushaira (poetry collection)? They don’t even know this,” he said.
Mr. Adityanath said that Lord Ram represented India’s national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect and called him the very life force of the nation.
“Look at the scene that has come to life before us today. This is the power of Lord Ram’s consciousness. In fact, it is the consciousness of India,” he said.
Referring to Ayodhya, which is called the first of the seven sacred cities (Saptapuris) in Hindu scriptures, Mr. Adityanath said the city was facing several challenges; yet Ram devotees, saints, Naga ascetics, Nihang Sikhs and people from all sections of society resisted them.
“Today, Ayodhya regains the glory for which kar sevaks sacrificed their lives and revered saints fought,” he said while paying tribute to former Vishva Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
“There was a time when even uttering the name of Shri Ram in Ayodhya invited lathis and bullets. To ban the very name of Ram in this city was a sin. Ayodhya was neglected and almost forgotten. Today, that very Ayodhya has revived and reminded us of the Treta Yuga,” he added.
Mr Adityanath also targeted the Congress without naming it, referring to the legal battle over Ram Janmabhoomi and attempts in the courts to challenge the existence of Lord Ram.
“Those who gathered an army of lawyers in the courts to deny the existence of Lord Ram have at least now gained the wisdom to accept his existence. This is our ideological victory,” he said.
“Ram accepts everyone. But if anyone comes in the guise of Mareecha (a demon who disguised himself as a golden deer to lure Lord Ram away from Sita), he will not be able to escape Ram’s arrows,” he added.
Mr. Adityanath said that while the country was moving forward under Modi’s leadership, “Manthara and Mareech sitting in the anger chamber” were conspiring to destabilize the country by reviving Naxalism, terrorism and anarchy.
A decade ago, few could have imagined Ayodhya hosting a grand Deepotsava or that its women could return home late at night without fear, he said.
“Ayodhya, once marred by poor electricity supply, poor sanitation and narrow lanes, now has four-lane roads leading to the Ram Temple, an international airport named after Maharishi Valmiki, widened corridors and a developed railway station with Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains. The city is also becoming a solar city,” the priest-politician said.
The Chief Minister said Deepotsav’s message of security, good governance and prosperity is reaching villages across the state.
Recalling the first edition of the festival in 2017, when 25,000 lamps were lit, Mr. Adityanath claimed that the state lacked funds then even to pay the salaries of government employees.
He accused previous governments of looting public money through syndicates and buying properties abroad.
Published – 8 Nov 2026 09:47 IST