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Arya Samaj pioneered ‘ghar wapsi’ with Vedic movement: Yogi
The Arya Samaj launched the Vedic movement to counter the policy of appeasement by the British in India...ever since, it has been a vibrant movement in India, says chief minister
GORAKHPUR Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday flagged the issue of religious conversions, saying that the Arya Samaj was the first to respond to the challenge of large-scale conversions by organising ‘ghar wapsi (homecoming)’ of those converted.
“The Arya Samaj launched the Vedic movement to counter the policy of appeasement by the British in India. Ever since, it has been a vibrant movement in India. There was a time when Arya Samaj was dominant from Basti to Karachi,” he said addressing the Golden Jubilee Mahotsav programme of Arya Samaj organised in Basti.
In 2020, Adityanath government brought a law to check unlawful religious conversions. It has also been tough on cases of ‘love jihad’ - the term coined by RSS affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad to refer to cases of Muslim youth faking identity to entice Hindu girls into a relationship.
“The Arya Samaj movement gave birth to many revolutionaries, including Pandit Ramprasad Bismil, who led the Kakori action. Bismil was a product of Arya Samaj, who worked as a preacher. Every revolutionary of that time felt proud to be associated with the Arya Samaj,” he said.
“Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, connected education with values on one hand, and modernity on the other. The DAV (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) was once considered one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country, where the day started with Vedic prayers and havan yagya,” the CM added.
He added that the 150th year of the establishment of Arya Samaj will start next year, marking an important event in the country’s history.
“During this time, we have to inspire youth to do research on the works of Arya Samaj. Through this, our present generation will be able to know about the contribution of Arya Samaj,” he asserted.
MSME minister Rakesh Sachan, lawmaker Subhash Yaduvansh, district Arya UP Pratinidhi Sabha, Basti, chief Om Prakash Arya, general secretary, Delhi’s Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Vinay Arya and other dignitaries attended the programme.
