New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Opposition leaders on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks questioning why the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress remain silent on the alleged illegal sale of Waqf land, while accusing the BJP of hurting Hindu faith over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Lately, the BJP has been come under criticism from Opposition parties over donation theft allegations at the Ram Temple, an the former has projected the issue as an affront on the sentiments of Hindus.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered SIT probe into the incident but kept lashing out at the Opposition parties, accusing them of insulting Hindu sentiments and also pursuing politics of minority appeasement.

Addressing an event in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said that Congress and the Samajwadi Party remained silent over issues such as alleged encroachment and grabbing of Waqf properties, but were attempting to target the BJP over developments in Ayodhya.

Reacting to the remarks, Samajwadi Party MP Pushpendra Saroj told IANS, “The Chief Minister should avoid making baseless allegations. If he has evidence, he should present it first. If anything had gone wrong during the Samajwadi Party’s tenure, the people of Uttar Pradesh responded by electing the Bharatiya Janata Party to power twice. I can say with certainty that the BJP received more than 50 per cent of the votes in the name of Lord Ram.”

He further said, “The BJP pursued politics centred around religion, faith and the Ram Temple, and people supported them on that basis by bringing them to power twice. Today, when allegations of theft have surfaced in the name of the same Ram, the Chief Minister is trying to divert attention from the real issue.”

Congress MP Tariq Anwar also criticised the Chief Minister’s statement while speaking to IANS.

He said, “If people were educated, they would not make such statements. Whether it was the Ram Temple issue or the Babri Masjid dispute, the matter had been pending before the court since 1949. Until the judiciary delivered its verdict, there was no meaning in either supporting or opposing it. The BJP used the Ram Mandir issue purely for vote-bank politics. They do not genuinely have sentiments for Lord Ram.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant questioned the Chief Minister’s approach, saying, “Until recently, I regarded Yogi Adityanath as a strong leader. But today I want to ask him, as the Chief Minister of one of the country’s largest states, what exactly is he trying to achieve? Is the objective to deepen divisions and widen social fault lines? How long will this kind of politics continue? The Ram Mandir has already been built. Even after that, why is there a need to keep raising issues that divide society?”

He added, “Instead, the focus should be on pressing issues such as unemployment and public welfare. Uttar Pradesh faces several serious challenges that deserve priority. Balasaheb Thackeray always advocated unity among Hindus and opposed caste-based divisions. He believed in bringing society together rather than fragmenting it. Today, however, caste identities are increasingly being highlighted, leading to divisions and mistrust where there should be harmony and mutual respect.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also criticised the BJP, telling IANS, “This is completely whataboutery. They say someone else did something, so they are justified in doing something else. The people have entrusted them with responsibility. However, the BJP also politicised this issue. Every trustee was associated with the BJP. The people of Ayodhya understood this, and that is why they defeated the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Congress leader Hussain Dalwai also targeted the ruling party, saying, “Where did the Ram Mandir money go? Perhaps they are using it in this manner. They indulge in vote theft; now seat theft has also begun, and even temple treasuries are allegedly being looted. Looting, speaking lies and committing theft have become their policy. They continue making such statements without any basis.”

–IANS

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