Lucknow, Jul 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that mention of Bundelkhand's Kalinjar fort in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat is going to reawaken the glory of our glorious past.

In a post on X in Hindi on Sunday, Adityanath said, "The mention of the timeless forts, symbols of India's pride and glory, by the respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in today's @mannkibaat, especially the mention of the Kalinjar fort in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh is going to reawaken the glory of our glorious past."

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"The Kalinjar fort is an invincible saga, which never surrendered despite repeated attacks by cruel invaders like Mahmud Ghaznavi. This fort is not only amazing from an architectural point of view but is also an indelible symbol of Indian self-respect and cultural identity.

"The high ramparts of many forts like Jhansi, Gwalior, Datia, Ajaygarh, Garhkundar and Chanderi, located on the brave land of Bundelkhand, still echo the valour when our ancestors sacrificed their lives to protect the motherland," Adityanath said.

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He added, "The Prime Minister's call to visit these forts as much as possible is not only an initiative to promote tourism, but also an inspirational effort to spread India's self-respect and cultural memory to the people. Heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister for reminding us of India's invincible history and immortal culture."

In another post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, "The mention by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in today's @mannkibaat about the team dedicated for years to the cleanliness of the Gomti river, the lifeline of Lucknow, is not only a tribute to the people's movement of 'Swachh Bharat', but also a nationwide inspiration for the spirit of service, hard work and dedication that comes alive every Sunday on the riverbank."

"Under the successful guidance of the Prime Minister, the excellent performance of the districts of Uttar Pradesh in the Swachh Survey is strengthening the achievement of 'Swachh Uttar Pradesh'. Heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister!" Adityanath said on X.

Meanwhile, speaking to PTI, Ranjeet Singh, the BJP corporator from Mankameshwar Mandir Ward in Lucknow, said, "This weekly cleanliness campaign of Gomti was started 10 years ago, and for the past seven years, uninterruptedly on every Sunday morning, we gather at the ghats of river Gomti to undertake cleaning activity."

Irrespective of the weather conditions, the cleanliness activity is carried out round the year, he highlighted.

"When I, along with my team, started this campaign in 2014, I was a corporator. River Gomti flows very close to my house, and I have seen it from a very close quarter. I have grown up seeing the river since my childhood days. If we continue to blatantly exploit the natural resources, be it the mountains, hills, jungles or rivers, one day these resources will cease to exist. Hence, I felt that a cleanliness campaign for Gomti should be launched," explained the 50-year-old corporator of Lucknow Municipal Corporation.

He said that when the campaign was started in 2014, about 50 people were associated with the cleaning activity. Today, this number has crossed 1,000, Singh added.

"On June 23, 2018, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came to the banks of the river Gomti. The CM initiated the cleanliness campaign... From July 1, 2018, we started our cleanliness work. And, since then, we have not looked back after that," Singh said.

He also said that reviving the small rivers in the state is "extremely necessary," and gave the example of Kurail river, a tributary of river Gomti.

"This river was encroached by people in the Akbarnagar area of Lucknow. Our Chief Minister took action in this regard and revived the river. He also rehabilitated those people who were removed from the place following the anti-encroachment drive initiated by the government," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)