Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has called for greater social unity, warning against attempts to divide India along caste, regional and linguistic lines. Addressing teachers in Lucknow on Sunday, he said educators have a key role in ensuring that divisive forces do not gain ground.

Speaking at a teachers' workshop organised by the Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar as part of its centenary celebrations, Adityanath said the country should move towards an “Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat” rather than become divided into competing caste groups.

“The country needs an 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat and not an India divided and fighting in caste camps.”

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said divisions based on caste, region and language amounted to an offence against the nation. He urged teachers to take responsibility for countering such tendencies and helping build a more united society.

Yogi Adityanath links present divisions to India’s past

Adityanath drew a comparison with the period of British rule, saying attempts to divide society existed during the country's struggle against colonial rule, while others worked to bring people together around the freedom movement.

He said similar tendencies could be seen in different forms today and called on teachers to ensure that forces seeking to fragment society do not succeed.

The chief minister also urged people to move away from what he described as a “mindset of slavery”, take pride in India's heritage and work towards social equality and a developed India as the country approaches the centenary of Independence in 2047.

“If every person gives greater importance to duty than rights, no power in the world can dare to challenge India,” he said.

‘An idea travels a long journey’

Adityanath also praised the work of Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar founder Pandit Shriram Sharma and Mata Bhagwati Devi, particularly the organisation's efforts to bring people together through yajnas.

Reflecting on the organisation's century-long journey, he said its founder had chosen to place an idea above his own identity.

“Organisations that run in the name of an individual eventually collapse, while an idea travels a long journey,” Adityanath said.

He cited the Gita Press, founded in 1923, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1925, and the Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar, founded in 1926, saying that although their approaches were different, all three had contributed to public consciousness and promoted traditional values and a connection with India and “Indianness”.

Yogi Adityanath flags weakening of joint families

The chief minister also turned his attention to the family structure, arguing that the weakening of joint families had been accompanied by greater social fragmentation and stress.

He called on the Gayatri Pariwar to work towards strengthening families as part of its wider social efforts.

BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh, who also addressed the gathering, spoke about changes in Uttar Pradesh's education sector under Adityanath's leadership. He said the education budget had increased, dropout rates had fallen and teachers were being recruited on merit.

Singh also highlighted the expansion of smart-class facilities in schools.

With PTI inputs