Amid escalating political tensions over Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s proposed visit to Ayodhya, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday accused the SP of changing its stand on religious issues for electoral gain.
He questioned Akhilesh Yadav’s position on the Ram Temple movement ahead of his proposed Ayodhya visit. “The people of the Samajwadi Party are chameleons. Pathak further alleged that the SP was now attempting to project itself as a supporter of Sanatan Dharma despite its past political positions. He questioned why the memoir did not adequately address controversies associated with the Congress leadership.
Speaking to mediapersons after inspecting the district hospital and chairing a review meeting in Sant Kabir Nagar, Pathak referred to the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks during the then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government.
They change their colours according to the situation,” he said. He said the renewed display of religious faith by SP leaders had come only in response to changing political circumstances. Taking aim at Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Pathak accused the Congress of undermining democratic institutions during the Emergency and said the party should answer questions about its past before commenting on the country’s political history.
He alleged that the Congress had gone to any extent to remain in power and could not evade responsibility for the actions taken during the Emergency. The deputy chief minister’s remarks come amid a fresh political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress following the release of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, with the BJP targeting the Congress leadership over its political legacy.
Describing the Emergency as a dark chapter in India’s democratic history, Pathak said opposition leaders were jailed, civil liberties curtailed and press freedom restricted during the period.
