Lord Ram & Krishna keep nation united, says Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that Lord Ram and Lord Krishna cemented the nation together. The chief minister said that while Lord Ram connected north India with South India, Lord Krishna connected eastern parts of the country with the western region.

Speaking at function on tourism, Yogi Adityanath explained, “Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya in north India but he went to the south to perform his ‘karma’ and fulfil the mission of his birth. Krishna’s wife Rukmini belonged to eastern India, while he was the ruler of Dwarka, which is situated in the western part of the country.”

He said that Rukmini, according to folklore, was the daughter of Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha in Maharashtra but was born and brought up in Arunanchal Pradesh. “Like Rama and Krishna, tourism was the common thread binding the people of India. The fact that UP is the land of Ram and Krishna makes it a major tourist attraction. Everyone wants to visit the land of Ram and Krishna,” the chief minister said. He said that Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka had been showcasing their connection with Ram to boost tourism, while Uttar Pradesh had lagged behind in cashing on its tourist potential.

“Not only the place of Ram and Krishna, UP is also the karmabhoomi of Lord Buddha and my government is working to develop places of Buddhist interest,” he added. Yogi Adityanath also pointed out that religious places like Varanasi, Ayodhya and Vindhyachal were fast becoming the preferred choice of the Indian middle class, which cannot afford holidays to expensive tourist destinations, either in the country or abroad.

The chief minister said that the recently approved Noida International Airport would make it easy for tourists to reach UP. “But before the airport is built and becomes functional, we will renovate 10 airstrips that were not being used well and these will be opened to improve air connectivity,” he said. Meanwhile, the UP government launched eight destination-specific websites that are aimed at attracting tourists by providing all the information required.