As it marked nine years in power in Uttar Pradesh and with the 2027 Assembly polls looming, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has advanced a narrative on how it has shifted the state’s economic focus from what it describes as “graveyard”-centric to “temple”-centric development. In support of this claim, party leaders have said 1,500 temples have been developed and their infrastructure upgraded during Yogi Adityanath’s tenure as Chief Minister.

This week, leaders at multiple levels — from the CM to Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh — while highlighting the government’s achievements, spoke about a shift from investment in kabristans (graveyards) to temples across the state.

On Wednesday, Adityanath, in a dig aimed at the Samajwadi Party and its leaders, claimed that while kabristans were close to their heart and they allocated funds accordingly, temples are close to his government’s priorities and will continue to receive funding.

आपको कब्रिस्तान प्यारा था तो आपने वहां पैसा दिया, हमें मंदिर प्यारे हैं, हम मंदिर के लिए पैसा दे रहे हैं,

जिसको जो प्यारा होता है, वो वही करता है… pic.twitter.com/rrSMGMGzPq

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) March 25, 2026

He said his government has supported the development and beautification of 1,500 temples over the past nine years. “Apko kabristan pyara tha apne paisa diya, humko mandir pyare hain hum mandir ke liye paisa denge (Kabristans were dear to you, so you spent money on them; temples are dear to us, so we will spend money on temples),” he said.

Addressing a gathering in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said Ayodhya once witnessed only “lathi” and “goliyan” of the police, but today a grand temple stands there.

“Kayi peeriyan aayi dekhti reh gayi nahi ho paya, lekin Ram Mandir aaj ban gaya hai. Kashi mein Kashi Vishwanath Dham mein jaiye, kitna bhavya ban gaya hai. Maa Vindhavasini Dham mein jayenge, kitna bhavya ban gaya hai. (Many generations came and kept waiting, but it could not happen. Today, the Ram Temple has been built. Visit Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi and see how grand it has become. Visit Maa Vindhavasini Dham and see how grand it has become),” he said, adding that temples across the state now reflect visible changes.

Around 1,500 temples across the state have been given funds for beautification works, he claimed.

“Earlier temples did not receive facilities as funds used to go to kabristans. One Samajwadi Party leader was saying funds meant for graveyards have been diverted,” the CM claimed. “But I have to tell them that no funds of graveyards have been diverted; they were funds of the government, funds of the public.”

Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh, while listing the government’s achievements over nine years, made similar remarks in Lucknow on Wednesday.

“Graveyard economy thi, usko hum logon ne temple economy mein, Sanatan economy mein badalne ka bada kaam kiya hai. Jisko logon ne appreciate bhi kiya hai (There used to be a ‘graveyard economy’, which we have transformed into a ‘temple economy’ or ‘Sanatan economy’, a change that people have appreciated),” he claimed.

He said there is no Assembly constituency left in UP where the government has not developed between one and five destinations linked to faith or belief.

He added that this shift has led to a rise in tourist footfall — from 23 crore in 2017 to 156 crore by the end of 2025 — and cited the development of major religious destinations including Ayodhya, Kashi, Prayagraj, Mathura, Mirzapur, Naimisharanya and Maa Shakumbari Peeth in Saharanpur.