Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday urged citizens to opt for indigenous products during festivals because Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s Swadeshi mantra forms the basis of a self-reliant India and has the strength to turn the “impossible into possible”.
He was addressing the ‘Virat Yuva Sammellan’ organised as part of four-day Pandit Deendayal Upadhyayay Smriti Mahotsav at Deendayal Dham in Farah town of Mathura district..
Highlighting Upadhyay’s belief that India’s economic foundation must be rooted in indigenous values, the chief minister noted how millions of artisans and craftsmen found livelihood opportunities through ODOP (One District One Product) and the Vocal for Local movement.
He appealed to citizens to purchase and gift only indigenous products during festivals, avoiding foreign goods, so that money strengthens farmers and artisans instead of funding forces that promote terrorism and Naxalism.
“Where there are indigenous products, there is self-reliance; where there is self-reliance, there is true independence; and where there is independence, empowerment naturally follows. This is the mantra of Pandit Deendayal,” he said on the second day of the four-day event organised 30 kilometers from Mathura town.
“Panditji’s vision is being realised today under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
Adityanath remarked the ideas that Upadhyay presented to India’s political leadership in the 1950s have now taken concrete shape through initiatives like Vocal for Local and Swadeshi.
He paid tribute to Upadhayay, the pioneer of Antyodaya and a key proponent of Integral Humanism, whose birth anniversary will be celebrated on September 25.
Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the “impossible has been made possible”, whether it is the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, the construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, or providing free ration to 80 crore people, the chief minister said.
What was once thought unattainable has now become the strength of the nation, he said.
“Guided by Pandit Deendayal’s mantra, India has risen to become the world’s fourth-largest economy and is on course to soon take the third position,” he stated.
He emphasized that this is the era of youth power, and Uttar Pradesh, with its vast young population, will drive India’s future progress.
He said, “Under the CM Yuva Scheme, the government is providing interest-free and collateral-free loans of up to ₹5 lakh. Since January, 70,000 young people have benefited, with a target to reach 1 lakh beneficiaries. Today, India’s youth are not only seeking jobs but are creating them through startups in IT, ODOP and even cow-based farming.”
He assured that outsourced workers in any department across Uttar Pradesh will receive a guaranteed minimum honorarium of ₹16,000 to ₹20,000.
Targeting the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, the chief minister said, “Earlier governments used the word ‘impossible’ as an excuse for their failures, which weakened both Uttar Pradesh and the nation. At independence, UP contributed 14% to the national GDP, but due to years of misrule, the state slipped to the eighth position by 2017. The double-engine government has since restored Uttar Pradesh to its rightful place as the country’s second-largest economy.”
He further said, “The Congress and its allies had made Kashmir a festering wound for the nation. While many once claimed that removing Article 370 was impossible, Prime Minister Modi turned it into reality, just as he fulfilled the long-standing resolve of constructing the Ram Mandir.”
He recalled Upadhyay’s slogan “the Kashmir where Syama Prasad Mookerjee was martyred is ours,” and said that today Article 370 has been buried forever, adding that Kashmir has become an inseparable part of India.
The four-day festival will feature exhibitions of indigenous goods, cow-based farming models, and women’s self-reliance initiatives, reflecting the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Atmanirbhar Uttar Pradesh.