Akhilesh Yadav Defends Ram Temple Visit Amid BJP Criticism
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav defended his planned visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya against accusations of political opportunism from the BJP.
Akhilesh Yadav, chief of the Samajwadi Party, defended his planned December 12 visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya following criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Yadav stated that "God belongs to everyone" and reframed his PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) outreach strategy as "Pehle darshan, phir Aashirvaad."
The dispute escalated as the BJP dismissed the visit as a political ploy. Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary challenged Yadav to visit the temple on December 6 instead and demanded an apology for the killing of kar sevaks during a previous Samajwadi Party tenure. BJP MLC Subhash Yaduvansh echoed these demands, insisting that Yadav apologize to the families of the victims before visiting the shrine.
In response, Yadav accused the BJP of overseeing large-scale corruption and financial losses within Uttar Pradesh. The exchange occurs as both parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
