• Yogi Adityanath asks Akhilesh Yadav to apologise to Ram devotees.
• SP announces Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav’s Ayodhya visit on December 12.
• Adityanath’s remarks refer to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks.
• Political exchanges come ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

GG News Bureau
Ayodhya, 7th Nov: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was welcome to visit Ayodhya but should first apologise to devotees of Lord Ram. His remarks came after the SP announced that Yadav would visit the Ram Temple on December 12, marking his first visit to the shrine.

Speaking at the 10th edition of Ayodhya’s Deepotsav, Adityanath referred to the 1990 police firing on Ram Temple movement volunteers, known as kar sevaks, during the tenure of the then Samajwadi Party government led by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“Those who bloodied Ayodhya are also remembering Ayodhya,” the Chief Minister said, adding that those visiting the holy city should seek forgiveness from Ram devotees. He also said that Lord Ram was kind and would forgive everyone, while cautioning against the arrogance of power.

Referring to the history of the Ram Temple movement, Adityanath said the events created by Ram devotees had ensured that no one would dare to open fire on devotees in Ayodhya again.

The police firing took place in 1990 when kar sevaks attempted to reach the Babri Masjid during the movement to build a Ram Temple at the site. The then Chandra Shekhar government at the Centre put the death toll at 15. Mulayam Singh Yadav gave different figures over the years, while the BJP, VHP and other Hindutva organisations claimed that more than 50 people had died.

Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly accused the BJP of promoting communalism. He has also said that the Ayodhya land dispute was settled after the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict awarding the disputed land to the Hindu side.

Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey announced that Akhilesh Yadav, the Kannauj MP, and his wife, Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, would offer prayers at the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12.

Akhilesh had visited Ayodhya on October 8 to attend a Bhagwat Katha organised by Pandey but did not visit the temple. He had earlier cited reasons for postponing his visit, including the completion of the Kedareshwar Dham temple in Etawah, the SP’s home district.

Reacting to the announcement, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary said Akhilesh Yadav visited temples when he saw an opportunity and urged him to stop insulting Sanatan Dharma. Minister Danish Azad Ansari accused the SP of raising the Ayodhya issue to mislead the public ahead of elections.

The planned temple visit also follows a political exchange between the two leaders over the Ayodhya Assembly seat. During his October 8 visit, Akhilesh had challenged Adityanath to contest the election from Ayodhya. The Chief Minister responded at a rally in Balrampur on October 10, inviting him to file his nomination.

Akhilesh has since announced that he will not contest the upcoming Assembly elections and will focus on campaigning across the state. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are due by February 2027.