New Delhi: Although the dates for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections have not yet been announced, political parties have already begun setting their strategic pieces in motion. In an effort to counter the BJP’s ‘Hindutva’ narrative, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to visit Ayodhya to offer prayers to Ram Lalla at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi site.
He is scheduled to visit Ayodhya on December 12, and preparations are already underway within the party. While no official statement has been issued by the party itself, the announcement was made by Pawan Pandey, the SP candidate from Ayodhya, during a television program. This has caused the political temperature in the state to soar.
This planned visit has drawn sharp reactions from several BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, and the party’s state president, Pankaj Chaudhary. Specifically, state president Pankaj Chaudhary has questioned the choice of date for the visit.
Pankaj Chaudhary suggests a date to Akhilesh.
Uttar Pradesh BJP President and Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, has suggested that instead of December 12, Akhilesh should visit Ayodhya on December 6. In a post on the social media platform X, Chaudhary wrote: “If this is not just another political ploy regarding Lord Shri Ram, but a genuine act of repentance, then visit the Ram Mandir on December 6, not December 12 and seek forgiveness for the grave sin of the killings of hundreds of Ram devotees. Do not assume that your past sins will be washed away; on the contrary, this charade of ‘devotion to Ram’ will only lead to the loss of whatever remains of your political existence.”
BJP MLC also raises questions
BJP MLC Subhash Yaduvansh has also questioned the proposed visit by the SP chief and former UP Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav. Describing Akhilesh Yadav’s statements as “ridiculous” and “childish,” he pointed out that under the BJP government, world-class infrastructure has already been established in Ayodhya. He added that after a wait of 500 years, a grand Ram Mandir now stands, which the world already recognises as the global capital of the Sanatan tradition.
Recalling the firing incident on kar sevaks
BJP MLC Subhash Yaduvansh recalled the firing incident involving kar sevaks (volunteers), stating that those under whose regime the waters of the Saryu River turned red with the blood of kar sevaks have no moral right to speak about Ayodhya.
What happened on December 6th?
For context, it was on December 6th that kar sevaks demolished the Babri structure. Following this event, the then-Kalyan Singh government resigned, and President’s Rule was imposed in the state. This was the moment when the kar sevaks steered this struggle toward a larger, full-scale movement.
