Unlike foreign countries, India became prosperous by virtue of its hard work: Adityanath

Basti (UP), Sep 9 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asserted that "India became prosperous by the virtue of its hardwork" unlike the 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) 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 the virtue of its hardwork. 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 will 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 with the soldiers of India 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 save 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 -- and give priority to Made in India goods," Adityanath said. PTI NAV KSS KSS