The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to focus in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) stance on the Ram Temple construction and the 1990 police firing on the volunteers headed for the Babri Masjid ahead of its demolition, functionaries aware of the matter said. SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister when the volunteers were fired upon.
The issue is back in the spotlight as SP leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is scheduled to visit the temple with his family on December 12. This would be his first visit to the temple since its consecration in January 2024, after the Supreme Court paved the way for its construction following a protracted legal battle over the disputed site. BJP state unit chief and Union minister Pankaj Chaudhary asked Yadav to apologise for the killing of Ram devotees during the SP’s rule, following the announcement of the December 12 visit. He said Yadav should visit Ayodhya on December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid’s demolition, and seek forgiveness for the killings of devotees.
“Unless Akhilesh Yadav apologises for the grave sin of the killing of Ram devotees, any political spectacle of visiting the Ram Temple cannot wash away the sins of the past,” Chaudhary said.
The BJP, which has been under fire for poor management after the donation theft at the temple surfaced, is hoping that the reminder of how the volunteers were killed in the run-up to the Babri Masjid demolition would help coalesce the Hindu vote. “The SP government did not want the temple to come up. The BJP is confident the donation theft issue will have no impact on its electoral prospects. “The government took swift action.
The BJP hopes to return to power in the state for a third time after the 2024 Lok Sabha election setback. The Congress-SP alliance won 43 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and polled 43.52% of the votes in the 2024 polls. The BJP’s seats fell from 62 in 2019 to 33, dropping its overall tally below the majority mark in Parliament for the first time since 2014. He cited the Uttar Pradesh government data and said visitors in Ayodhya grew from six million in 2020 to 299 million in 2025. Earlier reporting noted: BJP steps up offensive against Akhilesh over Ram temple visit Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s announcement that he would visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on December 12 has triggered a political slugfest in Uttar Pradesh, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) challenging him to visit the temple on December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, and apologise for the killing of kar sevaks during the then SP government. State BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary challenged Yadav to visit Ayodhya on December 6 instead and apologise for the killing of kar sevaks during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. Earlier reporting noted: Akhilesh Yadav, accompanied by his wife Dimple Yadav and other family members, will first offer prayers at Hanumangarhi and then have darshan of Ram Lalla, SP leader and former Ayodhya MLA Pawan Pandey announced on November 7.
Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered the firing…owing to his politics of appeasement, he did not want the Ram Janmabhoomi to be reclaimed… We should not forget this dark history,” said a second BJP leader. As soon as it got wind of what was happening, a special investigation team (SIT) was set up, and the culprits were caught…the Opposition is scrambling for issues in Uttar Pradesh where law and order and governance have shown marked improvement,” the second BJP leader said. Earlier reporting noted: The BJP on Tuesday intensified its attack on the SP chief over his proposed visit.
