LUCKNOW: During his second visit to Ayodhya since the controversy over the alleged theft of Ram temple donation money surfaced, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday again targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, questioning their concern for Ram devotees.
Addressing a public meeting in Bikapur after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for 217 development projects worth over Rs 432 crore, Yogi alleged that previous SP governments had allowed namaz to be offered on the steps of the Hanumangarhi temple.
"Imagine, can anyone have the Hanuman Chalisa recited inside the Jama Masjid? Can any government of the day, be it the Samajwadi Party or the Congress, make that happen? Then why did they commit that sin of letting namaz be offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi temple?" he asked.
In 2003, during the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government, namaz was offered on the steps of the Hanumangarhi temple as part of efforts to resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through dialogue and promote communal harmony.
As part of those efforts, Mahant Gyan Das of Hanumangarhi organised an Iftar attended by Hashim Ansari, one of the main litigants in the Ayodhya dispute.
The matter later reached the court, following which Gyan Das gave an undertaking that he would not organise an Iftar at his Hanumangarhi Ashram again.
Yogi, however, did not directly address the ongoing Ram temple donation controversy during his speech.
The chief minister accused the Samajwadi Party of being responsible for the firing on Ram devotees and said those involved should apologise.
Yogi had earlier visited Ayodhya on June 19, when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was conducting its preliminary inquiry after being constituted on June 13. At the time, he had promised a fair probe and alleged that attempts were being made to defame Ayodhya and cast aspersions on the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.
Later in the day, addressing a public rally in Harraiya in Basti district, Yogi accused previous governments of practising appeasement politics and working against the interests of Ram devotees.
He claimed that funds earlier spent on graveyards were now being used for the development of religious sites such as Bhadeshwar and Tapasi Dham. He also alleged that money was looted in the name of the Waqf Board under previous governments.
"The SP, BSP and Congress displaced poor people in the name of the Waqf Board. Our government has worked to rehabilitate them," he said.
Referring to the Ram Temple, Yogi said opposition parties had earlier claimed that its construction would lead to widespread violence and bloodshed.
"They used to say that rivers of blood would flow if the Ram Temple was built in Ayodhya. We had said that not even a mosquito would be killed," he remarked.
He said Ayodhya had achieved in recent years what had remained unrealised for nearly 500 years, crediting the BJP government with ensuring the construction of the Ram Temple while carrying out infrastructure development and preserving the city's religious and cultural identity.
Yogi also claimed that lakhs of devotees now visit Ayodhya every year and leave "overwhelmed" by its transformation, adding that the Opposition was uncomfortable with these developments because "they themselves could never accomplish this."
