Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 10 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday hit out at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav amid his scheduled visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on December 12, asking him to visit the shrine on December 6 instead and seek forgiveness for the alleged killing of Lord Ram’s devotees.
In a post on X, Chaudhary targeted the SP chief over his scheduled visit to the Ram Temple, questioning his intentions and asking him to demonstrate genuine repentance for the killings.
“If this new ploy of yours is not about Lord Shri Ram, but genuine repentance! Then go to the Ram temple on December 6, not the 12th. Seek forgiveness for the grave sin of having hundreds of devotees of Ram murdered,” he said.
https://x.com/mppchaudhary/status/2120000266884043128
“Don’t think your old sins will be washed away; instead, you’ll lose even the little of your existence that remains with this pretence of devotion to Ram,” he said.
On October 30 and November 2, 1990, security forces deployed in Uttar Pradesh opened fire on kar sevaks (volunteers) who had assembled near the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya amid an agitation spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its Sangh Parivar affiliates.
The agitation aimed to demolish the mosque and construct a temple dedicated to Lord Ram at the disputed site.
Chaudhary’s remarks came a day after Akhilesh Yadav announced his plans to visit the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya with his family on December 12. This will be his first visit to the Ram Temple since its consecration in January 2024.
Earlier on Monday, Yadav also promised to transform Ayodhya into a “global capital for Sanatan pilgrimage” if his party returns to power in Uttar Pradesh, pledging transparent management of the Ram Mandir, world-class infrastructure, revival of the local economy and a thorough investigation into alleged irregularities in land dealings in the temple town.
In his post on X, Yadav alleged that the number of devotees and pilgrims visiting Ayodhya had been steadily declining, claiming that the distress caused by the alleged “theft” surrounding the Ram Mandir had directly affected the local economy.
“We are committed to restoring the honour and dignity of the city of Ayodhya. The number of devotees and pilgrims visiting Ayodhya has been steadily declining–a trend fueled by the distress caused by the ‘theft’ surrounding the Ram Mandir—which has directly impacted the local economy. We will not only rectify this situation but also revitalise the city. By implementing a transparent system for the management of the temple, we will restore public trust. Through the development of world-class infrastructure, we will transform Ayodhya into a ‘global capital for Sanatan pilgrimage’,” he said.
The controversy over alleged theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple was first publicly raised by SP leaders, with Ayodhya’s Pawan Pandey alleging that crores of rupees had been siphoned off.
Akhilesh Yadav amplified the allegations through social media posts on June 7, demanding accountability and transparency. Subsequently, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which led to the arrest of eight people, recovery of nearly Rs 80 lakh and resignations of key trust functionaries, including Champat Rai.
The latest exchange comes amid an intensifying political debate over alleged irregularities in land dealings and financial matters related to the Ram Temple ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party is seeking a return to power after consecutive defeats in the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections. (ANI)
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