Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asserted that "India became prosperous by the virtue of its hard work", unlike foreign countries, which amassed wealth after looting India and the world.
Adityanath was addressing a gathering in Basti district after laying the foundation of Saraswati Shishu Mandir and performing its 'bhoomipujan'.
"(Earlier) a tendency had cropped up, and the slave mindset had engulfed the country in such a way that every Indian started feeling that an Indian should be looked down upon, while a foreigner should be looked up to from the affluence ('sampannata') point of view. You have seen that this bad tendency has been curtailed in the past 11 years," the chief minister said.
He said whatever has been amassed by the foreigners has been done by looting India and the world, while India became prosperous by virtue of its hard work. It was not that India was not a prosperous country, he said, adding that 400 years ago, India used to be the number one economy in the world.
Adityanath said India's contribution to the world economy was 25 per cent, but unfortunately, it came down to just two per cent when the country became independent in 1947.
"India was looted, India was torn up and symbols of India's heritage were broken and insulted," he said, and added that such a feeling was created that whoever is an Indian will not be good," Adityanath said.
As a result, he said, instead of Hindi and Sanskrit, Indians started making English the symbol of Indianness. Instead of the great men of India, the countrymen started considering those people of the world as ideals who were heroes in their respective countries but could not be heroes for India, he added.
The chief minister said the bad effect of Indians distancing themselves from their traditions and symbols was that they gradually started feeling that India would never be free again. As a result, he said, India, against whom no power in the world could stand, became a slave. The country did not lack anything. It neither lacked strength nor wealth, nor intelligence, he said.
Citing the example of Maharaja Suheldev, the UP chief minister said, "Your neighbouring district is Bahraich. One thousand years ago in Bahraich, Maharaja Suheldev had fought the ruler of Ghazni, Salar Masood, when he came to destroy the temples and the holy places here.
"And after defeating him badly, he was given a punishment which is considered to be the worst punishment in Islam. But we were made to believe that we should not worship Suheldev. We stopped believing in Suheldev. People had forgotten the name of Suheldev." Recalling the work done by his government to restore the name and honour of Maharaja Suheldev, Adityanath said when the BJP government came to power in UP, it built a grand memorial of Maharaja Suheldev in Bahraich. A university was also built in Azamgarh in the name of Maharaja Suheldev because he is an ancestor and an ideal who contributed to saving India and Indianness in times of crisis, he added.
"But, the slave mentality took over us to such an extent that we started asking about Salar Masood everywhere. The society forgot Maharaja Suheldev. "That's why we have to eliminate the elements of slavery, distance ourselves from foreign goods -- the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has said 'Vocal for Local' for this," Adityanath said.
The UP CM also urged people to prioritise Made in India products, especially those crafted by Indian artisans for daily use, and gift them so that profits directly benefit the artisans. This would drive India's prosperity, he added.
Conversely, when money flows to foreign companies, their profits can indirectly fund terrorism, he said, and cited incidents like Pahalgam to illustrate how misused funds have supported such activities.
He also termed Lord Ram as a symbol of Indianness and an ideal for India.
Adityanath underlined the need for an education system rooted in Indian values, culture and devotion to the nation. He recalled that in the years after Independence, when governments failed to make significant efforts, Nanaji Deshmukh took the initiative from Gorakhpur to establish Saraswati Shishu Mandir institutions not merely to impart literacy but to ensure the holistic development of children.
From just five students in its first school at Pakkibagh in Gorakhpur, the network has now expanded to 12,000 schools, producing students who are taking leadership roles in society, he added.
Recalling the sacrifices of party ideologue Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, he said, "In 1953, Dr Mookerjee strongly opposed the idea of two constitutions, two flags and two prime ministers in one country." The UP chief minister also said that the Congress had imposed Article 370 in 1952 in Jammu and Kashmir despite Dr BR Ambedkar's opposition, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled Dr Mookerjee's vision by ensuring full integration of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian law, ending terrorism and anti-India conspiracies.
Adityanath also said that "we were divided among ourselves, that is why the country was enslaved".
Stressing on ending discrimination, the chief minister said that divisive forces conspire to weaken India. He highlighted the positive aspects of social media by giving the example of teachers motivating children to study through virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also discussed the negative aspects of creating fake accounts and pitting caste against caste and abusing each other. He said that technology should be used only to the extent that it is useful for us.
The UP CM discussed the usefulness of Chatbot and GPT and said that there should not be any dependence on it.
