LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey have locked horns over alleged links between Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, the main accused in the Ram Mandir donation theft case, and the SP chief.
On Tuesday at 1.55 pm, Akhilesh Yadav, through SP state president KK Pal, sent a legal defamation notice to Nishikant Dubey, the BJP MP from Godda in Jharkhand.
The notice pertains to allegations that Tinnu Yadav was in touch with the SP chief and had spoken to him. Akhilesh described the allegations as completely false, baseless and malicious.
Meanwhile, SP leaders lodged a complaint at Friends Colony police station in Etawah against Dubey and several others for circulating social media posts claiming that Tinnu Yadav had spoken to Akhilesh Yadav.
Responding to the complaint, Dubey said, "Under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Akhilesh Yadav himself will have to go to the police station and file a complaint. Follow the law."
Dubey had shared a post on X on July 5 by Saravanna Prasad Balasubramaniam claiming that Tinnu Yadav had been in regular contact with Akhilesh Yadav.
The post cited an alleged police investigation and mobile call records. While sharing it, Dubey wrote, "Wasn't Tinnu talking to Tipu?"
Akhilesh reacted strongly to the post and gave Dubey 10 minutes to delete it or face an FIR.
"The BJP MP should remove his false social media post within 10 minutes, a named FIR will be registered against him," Akhilesh wrote on X.
Calling the allegation false propaganda, Akhilesh said it violated parliamentary traditions, public decency and the dignity of Lord Ram. He alleged that the BJP was attempting to defame the PDA alliance.
Dubey responded on X, saying, "Hurry up, why are you so troubled? It's only a question, isn't it? Who ordered the firing on Ram devotees in 1990? I will go to court."
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party formally initiated legal proceedings by issuing a defamation notice to Dubey, asking him to remove the social media post and issue a public apology. It warned that failure to do so would invite further legal action.
Akhilesh has also warned others sharing similar posts to delete them and apologise.
Former SP MLA from Ayodhya Pawan Pandey released a video stating that the theft allegations had already been established, the accused had been jailed and trustees removed. He alleged that the BJP, RSS and VHP were now spreading false propaganda by claiming Akhilesh Yadav had spoken to Tinnu Yadav.
"It is an open challenge. If there is proof of any phone conversation between Akhilesh Yadav and Tinnu Yadav, produce it. Otherwise, publicly apologise to Akhilesh Yadav," Pandey said.
Pandey, who first flagged the alleged temple donation theft on June 7, added that politics should be based on facts and evidence rather than false allegations. He said he would retire from politics if BJP leaders proved their claim.
Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, a resident of Ayodhya and former driver of Champat Rai, is currently in jail.
According to the SIT report, Tinnu Yadav controlled the keys to the temple's donation boxes and managed access arrangements without any formal written authorisation.
The report further stated that Manish Kumar Yadav was assigned donation-counting duties on Tinnu Yadav's recommendation and was later found to be involved in theft cases. The SIT described these lapses as a serious failure in the temple's security arrangements.
