Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav Visits Ayodhya, Stays Away From Ram Mandir

Ayodhya: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav visited Ayodhya on Thursday to attend a Shrimad Bhagwat Katha at the residence of former minister Tej Narayan Pandey alias Pawan Pandey, but stayed away from the Ram Mandir.

During his visit, Akhilesh stressed the need for equality and social justice, saying there should be no place for discrimination in society.

“The feeling of belonging should be paramount and compassion should be the first condition of governance,” Akhilesh said.

Referring to the PDA, or Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak social coalition, he said these sections of society had remained victims of neglect and oppression.

Akhilesh said the Bhagwat Katha conveys the message of equality and that society should foster a sense of belonging towards everyone.

His visit to Ayodhya comes months after he was at the forefront of raising questions over the alleged theft and misappropriation of devotees' donations at the Ram Mandir. In June, Akhilesh demanded judicial intervention into the allegations and questioned the handling of donations at the temple. The temple trust had rejected the allegations, saying its internal audits had not found any significant irregularities.

The issue later led to a police case and an investigation by a Special Investigation Team. Eight people were arrested in the case, and the SIT subsequently filed a chargesheet alleging pilferage of donations during the counting process.

Akhilesh's decision to attend a religious programme in Ayodhya without visiting the Ram Mandir comes against the backdrop of the SP's renewed focus on its PDA politics and its criticism of the BJP's handling of issues concerning the temple.