Amravati (Maharashtra) [India], November 8 : BJP leader Navnit Ravi Rana on Sunday criticised Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his proposed visit to Ayodhya, invoking the police firing on kar sevaks and alleging that former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had ordered the firing.
Rana said Akhilesh Yadav should remember the events while displaying devotion to Lord Ram, alleging that Mulayam Singh Yadav had directed the police to open fire on kar sevaks who had gone to Ayodhya in connection with the Ram temple movement.
“It is an absolute fact that Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) ordered the firing upon our kar sevaks. Akhilesh Yadav should remember that when these kar sevaks set out to protect the Ram Mandir, it was Netaji who issued the orders to open fire on them,” Rana said.
Taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party chief, she added, “So, Akhilesh Yadav, no matter how much devotion to Lord Ram you may display today, Lord Ram knows well who ordered the firing on His servants and devotees.”
Rana also made a political prediction about the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying that Yogi Adityanath would return as Chief Minister.
“In the upcoming UP elections, it certainly won't be you, but Baba (Yogi Adityanath) will return,” she said.
Rana's remarks came amid the political exchanges surrounding Akhilesh Yadav's proposed visit to Ayodhya, with the BJP leader linking the visit to the Samajwadi Party's position during the Ram temple movement.
Earlier today, taking a swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his proposed visit to Ayodhya in December, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Sunday said that political leaders who once opposed 'Sanatan culture' are now turning to Lord Ram out of electoral necessity.
Speaking to reporters, Pathak criticised the SP leaders for avoiding the Ram Mandir until the approach of the 2027 Assembly elections.
"SP leaders never spoke about Ram Lalla’s temple in the past. It is the overwhelming force of our eternal culture that even those who oppose it in thought and action now realise that to win votes, they must seek refuge in Lord Ram," he said.
"SP leaders never used to talk about the temple of Lord Ram Lalla. This is the glory of the eternal culture, and it is so vast that even those who oppose it in thought and deed think that if we want to win votes, we will have to seek refuge in Lord Ram," he said.