Asserting that national interest should guide all actions, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said if the country is secure, then "religion is safe" which will ensure that "we also are safe".

He stressed that "Bharatiyata (Indianness) and Sanatan have the power to unite everyone".

Adityanath was speaking at the centenary celebration of the establishment of Vihangam Yog Sant Samaj held at Swarved Mahamandir Dham, the UP government said in a statement.

Praising the contributions of Sadhguru Sadafal Dev Maharaj, who founded the Vihangam Yog Sant Samaj, the chief minister said he told the world that a true yogi cannot sit idle looking at the conditions of the country and society.

Adityanath emphasised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's belief that all work should be done while prioritising the country's interest and urged everyone to rise above individual, societal, sectarian and religious boundaries.

"If the country is safe then religion is also safe. If religion is safe then we are also safe," Adityanath said while advocating actions that conform with India’s Vedic-spiritual tradition and the values of Sanatan Dharma.

The chief minister also spoke about the development works undertaken in Prime Minister Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi in the last 10 years.

"Be it health or education, Kashi is shining today in various aspects of development and along with Kashi, the entire UP is moving ahead under the guidance of PM Modi.

"Now we are seeing the vision of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat', where there is development as well as respect for heritage," he said.

"If we get good leadership, the results are pleasant. Today, there is respect for heritage and also a big campaign for public welfare through development," he said.

He credited Modi for taking the tradition of Yoga to the global stage. "People in more than 175 countries are associated with Yoga. Whenever Yoga will be discussed, it will inspire a feeling of reverence towards the sages of India in the minds of citizens across the world," Adityanath said.

He noted that due to the prime minister's efforts, UNESCO recognised Maha Kumbh as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2017.

The UP chief minister paid tributes to Sadhguru Sadafal Dev Maharaj, who was born in a small village in Ballia in 1888 and founded the Vihangam Yog Sant Samaj in 1924.

"Vihangam Yog Sant Samaj is determined to connect crores of devotees through its efforts by building a divine and grand temple through Swarved Mahamandir Trust, as well as to take India's yoga tradition and spiritual flow to the people," he said.

"Maharaj took the spiritual campaign forward and also stated that a true yogi-saint cannot sit idle looking at the conditions of the country and society.

"When the country was bound by the shackles of slavery, Sadhguru Sadafal Dev Ji Maharaj, with his spiritual practice, participated in the freedom movement to free the country from foreign slavery and associated himself with the call of the country's first freedom struggle from Barrackpore," he said.

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