Colonial mindset hurt India's traditions: Yogi Adityanath on Somnath temple debate

In Jhansi, Yogi Adityanath invoked the Somnath Temple's reconstruction to criticise early post-Independence attitudes towards India's heritage. He said the episode underlined a wider push for cultural revival, while also attacking the opposition and highlighting governance.

In Short

• Yogi said post-Independence governments failed to honour India's spiritual traditions
• He credited Patel with initiating Somnath's reconstruction after the country became independent
• He claimed Nehru discouraged Rajendra Prasad from attending the consecration ceremony

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday invoked the history of the Somnath Temple while addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Conference in Jhansi, asserting that India's cultural and spiritual heritage had not received due respect in the years immediately following Independence.

Referring to the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, the Chief Minister said that Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had taken the initiative to restore the temple after Independence. He alleged that the move had faced opposition from the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Yogi further claimed that when India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, decided to attend the idol consecration ceremony at the temple, he was discouraged from doing so through a letter from the then Prime Minister. According to the Chief Minister, such decisions reflected a "colonial mindset" that continued to influence the country's policies and thinking during that period.

"The nation was still influenced by the mentality of slavery. As a result, India's cultural and spiritual traditions did not receive the recognition they deserved," he said.

The Chief Minister stressed the need for cultural revival and preservation of national heritage, saying India was now witnessing a renewed sense of pride in its civilisational roots.

Highlighting recent developments, Yogi said that for the first time in independent India, a Prime Minister had personally participated in key religious and cultural events linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, including the foundation-laying ceremony and the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

'PEOPLE HAVE REJECTED FAMILY-CENTRIC POLITICS'

Targeting opposition parties, the Chief Minister accused the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of pursuing family-centric politics while they were in power. He alleged that after losing public support, these parties had sought to divide society along caste lines for political gains.

"The people have rejected such politics. Those who once worked only for their families are now trying to create divisions in society," he said.

Yogi also highlighted his government's crackdown on organised crime in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the state's mafia networks had either been dismantled or rendered ineffective through sustained action by law enforcement agencies.

The Chief Minister said the government's focus remained on development, good governance and strengthening India's cultural identity.

SOMNATH SWABHIMAN PARV 2026

In January 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the significance of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, describing it as a celebration of the enduring faith and resilience associated with the Somnath Temple in Gujarat. The event commemorated 1,000 years since the temple's first recorded attack in 1026 and honoured its repeated reconstruction through the centuries.

Modi paid tribute to leaders who played a key role in the temple's restoration, including Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and KM Munshi. He also recalled that the 2001 Somnath programme was attended by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Home Minister LK Advani and several other dignitaries.

Referring to the temple's post-Independence revival, the Prime Minister noted that 2026 marks 75 years since the historic 1951 consecration ceremony, adding further significance to the year-long celebrations dedicated to the shrine's legacy.

- Ends