Akhilesh Yadav’s Ayodhya Journey Draws Sharp Reactions From Rivals

New Delhi, November 9 – The Samajwadi Party’s national chief Akhilesh Yadav announced a family trip to Ayodhya scheduled for December 12, his first pilgrimage to the city since the Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony in January 2024. The itinerary lists a stop at the Hanumangarhi shrine for a quick darshan, after which Yadav will proceed to the Ram Temple to seek Lord Ram’s blessings. The plan prompted Union Minister Giriraj Singh to deliver a scathing remark, describing Yadav as a “Ramkhurdya” and recalling an old story of three people crossing a stream: one Muslim saying “Ya Allah,” one Hindu chanting “Jai Bajrangbali,” and a third who tried to combine both and drowned. Singh accused Yadav of similar duality, highlighting his recent prison meeting with a convicted felon alongside his public statements about visiting the holy site. In defense, MP Rajesh Ranjan “Pappu” Yadav asserted that worship is a basic cultural practice and that Ayodhya belongs to the nation’s collective heritage, not to any political party. He launched an attack on the ruling party, insisting that the city’s spiritual significance cannot be turned into a political pawn. The exchange illustrates the fraught relationship between religion and politics in India’s current climate.