LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of making "mischievous attempts" to attack India's Sanatan faith and questioned their silence over alleged irregularities related to Waqf land.
Addressing a gathering in Pratapgarh, the Chief Minister alleged that the Opposition had reduced its politics to "only two issues" and accused it of practising double standards on matters related to Ayodhya and religious institutions.
"I want to ask the people of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress: regarding the alleged theft in Ayodhya, over which you are making a mockery of Hindu faith, tell me, did you speak up even once about thousands of hectares of land, both within the state and across the country, were sold off in the name of the Waqf," he said.
He added, "This land belonged to the poor and the weaker sections of society. This was land that could have been allotted to the poor via leases, where convention centres could have been built; where shops and commercial establishments could have been created for poor traders."
Referring to the alleged theft of donation money at a temple in Ayodhya, Yogi said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
"The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had requested the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute an SIT, and I had assured that the SIT would uncover the absolute truth. Subsequently, action was taken against those for whom evidence existed," he said.
Questioning the Opposition's stand on the Waqf issue, the Chief Minister said, "But I ask: why do the people of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress seem to have their mouths sealed shut with fevicol when it comes to the Waqf issue?"
He further asked, "Was the Hindu faith not hurt when they ran illegal slaughterhouses, facilitated the killing of Gau Mata and allowed her to be crushed at the hands of smugglers? Was the Hindu faith not hurt when they unleashed bullets and lathis upon Ram bhakts in Ayodhya?"
Yogi also accused previous governments of restricting the Kanwar Yatra and diverting funds meant for the restoration of Hindu religious sites.
"I want to ask the Samajwadi Party and the Congress: when they used to restrict the Kanwar Yatra, were Hindu sentiments not hurt then? The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust is managing the temple's affairs, and there is no outside interference in its work."
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he added, "Even a chameleon would likely feel embarrassed when compared to these 'Samajwadis' and Congress members, thinking, 'Look, a new species has emerged that changes colors even faster than we do.'"
Targeting the Opposition over its past stand on Ayodhya, the Chief Minister said the Congress had questioned the existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, while accusing the Samajwadi Party of opening fire on Ram devotees during its tenure.
"Today, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party are left with only two issues. You must have observed the mischievous attempts made by them in recent days to attack India's Sanatan faith. Congress used to claim that Lord Ram never existed, or that Lord Krishna never existed. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party, who once supported the Babri structure in Ayodhya, have now changed their colours," he said.
Claiming that the country would no longer be influenced by the two Opposition parties, Yogi said, "The Congress denied Ram's very existence, and the Samajwadi Party opened fire on Ram devotees. What right do they have to speak of faith, the people who used to divert funds meant for the restoration of religious sites linked to Hindu heritage to build boundary walls for graveyards? What kind of faith are they talking about? This country will no longer fall into the trap of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party."
During the programme, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 111 development projects worth Rs 384 crore. He also honoured BPSC topper Shraddha Pandey.
(With additional inputs from ANI)
