Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 2 : As a scuffle broke out at the residence of Purnea MP Pappu Yadav on Sunday amid the ongoing Ram Mandir skit controversy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the BJP of "orchestrating deadly attacks" on MPs.
Branding the BJP "desperate" and unable to digest Pappu Yadav's popularity, Akhilesh Yadav urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take cognisance of the incident, calling it a "grave security lapse" by the responsible authorities.
"Violence is born out of the fear of defeat. The BJP is desperate, which is why after targeting the country's children, it is now orchestrating deadly attacks even on Members of Parliament. The incident of an assailant arriving with a knife at their press conference is an extremely serious matter and also a grave lapse by the government department responsible for the security of the honourable MP. An investigation must be conducted," he said on X.
Emphasising the widespread support for the lawmaker, the SP chief added, "The popularity of the people's MP Pappu Yadav ji is something the BJP cannot digest, because the BJP has become thoroughly discredited in every way due to its misdeeds. Honourable Lok Sabha Speaker ji, take cognizance! Shri Pappu Yadav ji, always remain this active."
The incident took place during a press conference at Pappu Yadav's residence, where a scuffle broke out between individuals and the MP's supporters. The MP has alleged that the incident was a "plot to kill" him.
Pappu Yadav's lawyer accused the Delhi Police of "collusion" with the ruling government, alleging that authorities failed to provide adequate security despite prior complaints.
"This exposes the failure of the Delhi Police. It reveals the conspiratorial conduct of the Delhi Police, showing how, in collusion with the ruling party, they are abetting a plot against a six-time elected MP... For the past two days, we have been consistently reporting and lodging complaints about the conspiracy being hatched against a six-time elected MP. Public tweets are being posted offering a reward of Rs 51 lakh to anyone who beheads him," he told ANI.
Recounting the ordeal, one of Yadav's supporters said, "The moment he pulled out a knife from behind, we immediately acted together and overpowered him. Had we not restrained him at that moment, it is possible that our Pappu-ji might not have been with us today."
Another supporter claimed, "He was seated and conducting a press conference when three or four individuals suddenly appeared. They immediately launched an attack with a knife. As the knife was swung across, I instinctively put my hand in front of him, and the blade grazed my finger. They continued their assault."
Pappu Yadav has questioned what his "crime" is as he only put forward queries related to the Ram Mandir donation row.
"If people hadn't been here, I would have been finished. I haven't said anything. I only asked Champat Rai or Giri Ji, where did the 200 kg of silver go? Where did the gold go?... The Delhi Police is quite capable. I have been demanding security for a long time now. What crime have I committed?" he said.
Meanwhile, one of the accused in the incident, Happy Sharma, denied carrying any knife, adding that they were beaten after a verbal altercation with the supporters of Pappu Yadav.
"We simply said to him, "Pappu Yadav ji, you are a respected public representative, but you are insulting our sadhus and saints and mocking their saffron robes. You are also bowing at the feet of MP Awadhesh Pratap. What is the meaning of this? Please stop this." Just for saying this, he and his supporters started beating us. The crowd attacked us brutally. They beat us badly. I managed to come out, but my friend could not. His name is Sumit. He was taken to the police station. We did not have any knife or any other weapon with us. Yes, the slippers were thrown after they assaulted us. We will continue to do this if our sadhus are disrespected," Happy Yadav told ANI.

The accused, who hails from Bulandshahr, said that they had planned to confront Pappu Yadav following his remarks on the Ram Mandir donation row.
"A protest by sadhus and saints was taking place, and we had come from Bulandshahr to support them. We had seen in the news that Pappu Yadav makes derogatory remarks about sadhus. He insults our revered deities and mocks our faith, so we came to stand in support of the sadhus. When we reached there, we found that the sadhus had already been removed from the site. We wondered what to do next, so we decided to meet MP Pappu Yadav and went inside," he said.
The incident comes days after Opposition MPs staged a skit inside the Parliament complex on July 31, using symbolic roles to raise allegations related to donations collected for the Ram Mandir.
During the performance, Pappu Yadav wore saffron robes and played the role of a temple priest, while other Opposition MPs enacted a scene involving a donation box and allegations of corruption.
The skit drew strong criticism from BJP leaders, with party leaders including Bansuri Swaraj and several MLAs filing police complaints in New Delhi, alleging that the performance hurt religious sentiments.
A separate FIR has also been registered in Varanasi following a complaint by a religious leader. Another police complaint has been lodged against Pappu Yadav by petitioner Surya Maithil at Jehangirpuri Police Station in the national capital.