Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said here on Sunday that the poison of caste was the cause of the country’s slavery.

“Some people still want to divide society in the name of caste. They are making a sinister attempt to spread the poison of caste in society for their political ends. We need to be cautious of such people. No one will benefit from this poison,” Yogi remarked.

Unveiling the statue of former block chief of Bansgaon Babu Chaturbhuj Singh at Jawaharlal Nehru Postgraduate College, the chief minister said in any field of life, whoever is engaged in work, should adhere to his/her civic duties with a sense of national priority. This is the only way the vision of a self-reliant India can be realised.

“Our educational institutions should not become mere platforms for distributing degrees but should emerge as mediums for the holistic development of students”, he contended.

CM Yogi noted that Babu Chaturbhuj Singh had a tendency to struggle with adverse circumstances. He was a senior social worker, standing by every individual in times of joy and sorrow. “Engaging in activities in both favourable and unfavourable situations, he remained dedicated to advancing issues connected with public welfare with intensity. During a period when government encouragement was low, the establishment of a degree college in the Bansgaon area was a dream”, Yogi added.

The CM said at that time, under the guidance of Justice K D Shahi, Babu Chaturbhuj Singh took upon himself the responsibility for establishing this college. In no time, a degree college was built here. He mentioned that students coming out of educational institutions should not have doubts about their future. They should have clear goals from the beginning. The responsibility for this lies with educational institutions and teachers.

He emphasised that every path leads to its destination, and to reach the destination, the educational institutions must become a means of guidance. For this, students also need to work hard.

The chief minister advised students not to adopt shortcuts to reach their goals in life. The shortcut will become the cause of weakness. It won’t provide stability in life. “Development can bring change to people’s lives. Whenever development happens, there are immediate challenges. For example, when a road is constructed, encroachments are removed. This may cause inconvenience to some people for a short period, but in the long run, every section of society benefits from it,” he stated.