Lucknow: Lashing out at the opposition parties, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that those who “embrace Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators and grovel before them” are the ones spewing venom against the people of Uttarakhand.“UP’s first CM, Govind Ballabh Pant, was also from Uttarakhand. The rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu, Rapti and Ramganga also originate in Uttarakhand. Those who shed tears for mafias cannot see the pride of Devbhoomi. Those who point fingers at the people of Uttarakhand forget their contribution in defending the country,” Yogi said during Uttarakhand Mahotsav in Lucknow.The CM added that Uttarakhand’s youth, when they go to defend the country’s borders, put the nation first. Any crisis at the border is a collective crisis, he said, adding that if petty-minded people reach positions of power and behave in an unruly manner, they would be rejected by people.“Their sympathies lie not with folk tradition, folk culture and faith but with dreaded mafia, and they shed tears when a mafia figure dies,” he added.Paying tribute to people from Uttarakhand, the CM mentioned several people who hail from the northern state. Giving the example of freedom fighter Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali, the CM said that when he was ordered by the British to fire on innocent Indians, he refused, and his courage did not break despite harsh punishment.The CM also paid tribute to General Bipin Rawat, the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff, also mentioning current CDS General Anil Chauhan, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, saying that devotion to the army is visible in almost every family in Uttarakhand.Praising Uttarakhand’s local food, the CM said that its traditional dishes were rich in nutrition and medicinal properties, but they have not been adequately marketed. He said that it was only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi began promoting millets that people learnt about grains such as ‘kodo’ and ‘jhangora’.Saying that there was immense potential in a state’s local food which needed to be given a distinct identity for promoting it, the CM called for giving a platform to Uttarakhand’s artists and connecting the new generation with them.“Pride in one’s heritage, freedom from symbols of slavery, respect for the army and security forces, social unity and honest discharge of civic duties are the foundation of development. Just like Uttarakhand’s Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Panch Prayag, Kainchi Dham and other pilgrimage sites, UP’s Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura-Vrindavan, Prayagraj, Vindhyavasini Dham and Naimisharanya are also our shared heritage,” the CM said.During the event, Yogi also conferred Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman on Padma Shri scientist Prof Vijay Prasad Dimri, born in Chamoli, and Almora’s well-known folk singer Beena Tiwari.
