A video, originally shared on the official X handle of Yogi Adityanath, showed the young Muslim man, masterfully reciting a few verses from the Hindu epic when the Chief Minister visited his stall at the exhibition.

Uttar Pradesh News: In a heartwarming display of communal brotherhood, a specially-abled Muslim man recited verses from the Ramcharitmanas at the ‘Divine Art and Skill Exhibition’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur on Saturday, earning applause and cheers from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

A video, originally shared on Adityanath’s official X handle, showed the young differently-abled Muslim man, masterfully reciting a few verses from the Hindu epic when the Chief Minister visited his stall at the exhibition.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath met a Muslim youth who sings Hindu bhajan, at the ‘Divine Art and Skill Exhibition’ in Gorakhpur earlier today.

(Source: CMO) pic.twitter.com/f93GqE4NLZ

— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2024

‘Specially-abled must be empowered, made self-reliant’

Meanwhile, addressing the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition on Saturday, Yogi Adityanath stressed on the empowerment of the specially-abled, asserting that making them self-reliant would result in the entire society becoming capable.

The state-level three-day arts and skills exhibition is being organised by the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities at Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium in Gorakhpur.

PM Modi gave the word ‘Divyangjan’

Speaking at the event, Adityanath said the derogatory word handicapped was replaced with ‘Divyangjan’ by PM Modi.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given up the word handicapped and given the word ‘Divyangjan’ because they have a special power from God,” the chief minister said.

“The disabled should not be neglected but they should be given respect and self-reliance,” he said.

The chief minister said, “Divyangjans have unlimited inherent talent. There is a need to hone that talent and give them a platform.”

Persons with disabilities deserve encouragement from the government and the society.

“With this spirit, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the double engine government is supporting the specially-abled and taking them on the path of respect and self-reliance,” he further said.

Boosting the confidence of the specially-abled, the chief minister said if a person has any disability, God compensates for it. Maharishi Ashtavakra, who guided the society through the Upanishads; the great poet Surdas, who depicted the Leelas of Lord Krishna in the medieval period; and in the present times, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and renowned scientist Stephen Hawking are examples of this.

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh is the land of God’s incarnation. Probably this is the first state in the country where two rehabilitation universities – Dr Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University, Lucknow; and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Divyang University, Chitrakoot – are running at the government level, he added.

(With PTI inputs)