BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary criticses Akhilesh Yadav, urges to apologise before Ram temple visit

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday targeted Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his proposed December 12 visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, asking him to visit the shrine on December 6 instead and apologise for the killing of 'kar sevaks' during the Samajwadi Party's rule.

"If this is not a new political ploy in the name of Lord Ram but genuine repentance, then visit the Ram temple on December 6, not 12. Apologise for the grave sin of getting hundreds of Ram devotees killed. Do not think your past sins will be washed away; rather, this pretence of devotion to Lord Ram will cost you whatever little political existence you have left," Chaudhary, also a Union Minister, said in a post on X.

The BJP state president's mention of December 6 refers to the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.


Read more: Akhilesh Yadav vows to make Ayodhya 'global capital of Sanatan pilgrimage'

The attack came amid a series of barbs by BJP leaders questioning Yadav's religious credentials and accusing the SP of appeasement politics.

BJP MLC Subhash Yaduvansh also slammed the SP chief, alleging that his party's government had ordered firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya and that those responsible for the incident were now talking about Sanatan Dharma.

He asked Yadav to take a dip in the Saryu river and apologise to the kar sevaks and their families before visiting the Ram temple.

Yaduvansh claimed that the BJP government had already developed world-class infrastructure in Ayodhya and established the temple town on the global map. He also challenged Yadav to clarify his stand on the demand for a grand temple at the Krishna Janmabhoomi site in Mathura.

BJP spokesperson Ankush Tripathi, meanwhile, targeted SP MP Sanatan Pandey over his reported remarks justifying the police firing on kar sevaks, accusing him of hurting the sentiments of Hindus.

Tripathi alleged that SP leaders were making such statements to please their party chief ahead of the elections.

Yadav's proposed visit is his first to the Ram temple since its consecration in January 2024. He was last in Ayodhya on October 8 to attend a religious programme organised by former SP minister and ex-MLA Tej Narayan Pandey alias Pawan Pandey.

During that visit, Yadav had asked Pandey and other party leaders to decide on a common date for visiting the Ram temple to seek the blessings of Lord Ram.

Read more: Akhilesh Yadav questions Ram Temple Trust clarification on donation row

The SP chief had in June this year emerged as one of the prominent opposition voices raising allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations at the Ram temple, popularly described as the 'chanda chori' controversy.

The allegations first surfaced publicly in June, when SP leader Tej Narayan Pandey raised questions over the alleged misappropriation of donations.

Yadav also highlighted the issue, following which the UP government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 and an FIR was subsequently registered against eight accused.

The Supreme Court subsequently took note of the allegations while hearing petitions seeking an independent probe, directed the inclusion of a forensic auditor in the investigation and monitored its progress.

The SIT later reported 105 instances of alleged unauthorised removal or concealment of cash during the counting of donations.

A chargesheet was filed against eight accused, following which the apex court closed its monitoring of the investigation on November 2, allowing the trial court to proceed in accordance with law.

The proposed visit and the BJP's response come months ahead of the 2027 UP polls, the schedule for which is yet to be officially announced. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has been in power in the state since 2017 under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, faces the Samajwadi Party as its principal political challenger.