Lucknow: During his one-day visit to Ayodhya on Friday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had lunch at the house of a Dalit family after which he interacted with the residents and also had a photograph clicked with his hosts.
A government spokesperson said that the initiative was being undertaken by the government, led by the CM, to give out a message of “social harmony and togetherness”.
“The CM dined with Maniram and his family in a slum in Ayodhya. Members of his family comprised his wife Basanti, daughters Silam and Nilam and sons Vikas and Sachin. The family resides near Asharfi Bhawan in Ramcourt Mohalla. After lunch, he also interacted with the family and got pictures clicked with them,” said a government spokesperson.
The CM’s gesture, said a BJP member, was a slap in the face of previous governments which only created a divide among people. This was the second visit by the CM to Ayodhya after taking oath, having visited the town on April 1 on Ram Navmi. Before this, the member added, the CM had had a khichdi meal at the residence of a Dalit worker of BJP in Gorakhpur on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
The government spokesperson added that under a new initiative by the Yogi Adityanath government, called ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwaar’, ministers have been directed to carry out regular visits to the districts allocated to them and interact with locals. This includes having meals at homes of locals, including Dalits, to give a message of social harmony. As part of this initiative, minister Jaiveer Singh had a meal at the residence of Harikishan Jatav in a slum during his visit to Banda while minister Nand Gopal Nandi had dinner with a Dalit family during his visit to Bareilly recently.
Courtesy : TOI
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