Sacrifice of 'Ram Bhakts' in 2002 freed Gujarat from riots: Adityanath

A prominent face in BJP's election campaigns in Gujarat this year, Adityanath tried his best to not miss mass as he mentioned the Godhra riots and the 'balidaan of Ram Bhakts', standing just kilometers away from where the infamous riots had broken out two decades ago.

Godhra: During a campaign in Godhra on Tuesday, just two days ahead of the state polls, Yogi Adityanath said that sacrifice of 'Ram Bhakts' -- an apparent reference to the 2002 state riots -- resulted in the Gujarat model of development. The UP Chief Minister, campaigning for BJP candidate CK Raulji for the Godhra assembly seat, had a fleet of symbolic bulldozers stationed at the rally with BJP flags hoisted on them.

"The sacrifice made by Ram Bhakts 20 years ago has led to the inception of a 'Gujarat model'. With that, Gujarat put a curfew on curfews forever," he said, surrounded by a sea of crowd chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'. All this, while standing a few kilometers away from where the bloodshed took place between the Hindu and Muslim communities two decades ago.

A prominent face of the BJP, Yogi Adityanath hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for building temples across the country and putting a halt to communal riots in India. The Ram Mandir found its mention too in the speech even as he termed Godhra as the 'land of sacrifices'."The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is a token of respect for the sacrifices of Ram Bhakts in Godhra, as much for the faith of Indians in Lord Ram," he said.

He also attacked the opposition parties -- AAP and the Congress -- saying that Ram Temple would have remained an unfinished dream had any of the two parties been in power.

Adityanath's roadshow covered the area between the Sardarnagar section and the Church Circle, further trailing from Panjarapole Kalal Darwaza to Lalbagh Hill Ground, followed by a public meeting at Lalbagh Hill Ground. He also held roadshows in Lunawada in Mahisagar, Umreth in Anand, and Dabhoi on Tuesday.

Addressing a rally in Mahudha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier made a similar reference to the Godhra riots. "During the Congress rule in Gujarat, communal riots were rampant. Congress used to incite people of different communities and castes to fight against each other. But after they were taught a lesson in 2002, people refrained from indulging in violence from 2002 till 2022. BJP has established permanent peace in Gujarat," the Union minister said on November 25.

Gujarat is set to vote in the first phase of the Assembly elections 2022 on Thursday, December 1. The state will vote in the second phase four days later on December 5, while the results shall be declared on December 12. As many as 788 candidates are in the fray for 89 seats across 19 districts of south Gujarat and Kutch-Saurashtra regions for the first phase.

The state, which has traditionally witnessed a bipolar contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, has a third player this time in the form of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has fielded candidates on 181 out of total 182 seats in the Assembly. There is a total of 4,91,35,400 registered voters in Gujarat.

On the last day of campaigning for the first phase, Amit Shah, Nadda, Adityanath, and Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant were scheduled to address rallies for the BJP.