Lucknow, July 10 (IANS) Samajwadi Party MP, Sanatan Pandey, on Friday lashed out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, after the latter accused previous state governments of allowing ‘namaz’ to be offered at the Hanuman Garhi temple, questioning the viral video which showed an artist dressed as Lord Hanuman performing during a recent roadshow of BJP chief Nitin Nabin in Lucknow.

Addressing a gathering during his first visit to Ayodhya since the Ram Temple donation theft controversy surfaced, CM Yogi said: “Pilgrims visiting Ayodhya were unable to receive the blessings of the Saryu because there were no proper arrangements, and filth had become its identity. Those who talk about faith today even had ‘namaz’ offered at our sacred Hanuman Garhi. Just think about it. Imagine this: Could anyone ever recite the Hanuman Chalisa inside the Jama Masjid? Could any government, the Samajwadi Party, or the Congress make that happen? If not, then why was the sin of having ‘namaz’ offered on the steps of Hanuman Garhi allowed? Who was responsible for this?”

The Chief Minister was apparently referring to an incident from November 2003, when an attempt was allegedly made to offer ‘namaz’ outside Hanuman Garhi, a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. However, permission for the prayers was not granted by the local police.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s statement, SP MP Sanatan Pandey referred to a performance of an artist dressed as Lord Hanuman during Nitin Nabin’s visit.

“These people are against Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. When BJP National President visited Lucknow, Lord Hanuman was being made to dance in front of him. Who are these RSS and BJP leaders to claim they understand Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman?,” he told IANS.

Taking his criticism further, Pandey said: “People belonging to the RSS and BJP have never truly respected people’s faith. Their work is to spread lies, collect donations in the name of faith and then indulge in thefts in the name of donations. If they know so much about Hanuman Chalisa and the character of Lord Hanuman, they should not have allowed such acts during the national president’s visit.”

Coming in support of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s statement that ‘Sanatan is equivalent to Samajwad’, Sanatan Pandey said: “He (Yadav) is absolutely correct. This country does not belong to only Hindus or Muslims. It is the land of Sanatan Dharma, which has always worked for unity and social harmony.”

He asserted that ‘Sanatan Dharma’ has worked to destroy caste barriers and promoted coexistence.

“If anyone is truly socialist, it is the followers of Sanatan Dharma, and among them, the Brahmin community has played a significant role,” the SP leader added.

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad also criticised CM Yogi’s statement, saying, “He did not speak about development, roads, or hospitals. His concern seems to be that the image and identity he has built as a leader should not weaken. That is why Chief Minister Yogi makes such baseless statements.”

–IANS

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