Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Credit: PTI Photo
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that there is only one religion in the world, and that is 'Sanatan Dharma,' and the rest are 'sects' or ''styles of worship.''
"Dharma to duniya mein kewal ek hi hai aur woh hai sanatan dharma.....baki dharma nahin hain. panth hain, mat hain, upasana vidhi hai'" (Sanatan Dharma is the only religion in the world.... the rest are not religions... they are sects, opinions, and ways of worship), Adityanath said while speaking at a function in his hometown of Gorakhpur on Monday evening.
He said that only 'Sanatan Dharma' could 'guarantee' the safety of the world. ''Sanatan Dharma talks about the well-being of mankind.....humanity will face a crisis if Sanatan Dharma faces a crisis,'' he remarked.
In a veiled dig at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's son Udayanidhi Stalin, who had argued for the eradication of 'Sanatan Dharma,' Adityanath said that one would not be able to understand it if one had a ''narrow mentality.'' ''Only those with an open mind can understand it,'' the chief minister added.
Udayanidhi's remarks have drawn sharp reactions from the BJP as well as from Hindu religious leaders, with one prominent seer announcing a reward of Rs ten crore to whosoever 'beheaded' him.
An FIR was also registered against Udayanidhi in Rampur town in the state under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.