Pratapgarh: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of trying to exploit the recent controversy surrounding Ayodhya for political gains, saying their "real pain" was that a grand Ram temple had replaced the Babri structure.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for 111 development projects worth more than Rs 384 crore in Pratapgarh and Vishwanath Ganj assembly constituencies, Adityanath said the opposition had no moral right to speak on Ayodhya.
"The place where they wanted to see the symbol of slavery now has a temple of Lord Ram. That is what pains the Samajwadi Party and the Congress," the chief minister said. He accused the two parties of frequently changing their stand on Ayodhya and alleged that they were trying to hurt Hindu sentiments by politicising an isolated incident.
Referring to the alleged theft case linked to Ayodhya, Adityanath said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had itself sought a Special Investigation Team probe and that action had already been initiated on the basis of the SIT's preliminary findings.
"The SIT will separate truth from falsehood. Wherever evidence has emerged, action has been taken," he said.
The chief minister also attacked the opposition over its stand on Waqf properties, asking why leaders of the Samajwadi Party and Congress remained silent on alleged irregularities involving Waqf land.
"They are speaking about one incident in Ayodhya but their mouths are sealed when it comes to Waqf. Thousands of hectares of land belonging to the poor and weaker sections were allegedly encroached upon and sold in the name of Waqf, but they never raised their voice," he said.
Adityanath said the opposition had only two issues left, caste-based politics and attacks on faith. He alleged that the parties were trying to divide society as elections approached because they could not digest Uttar Pradesh's progress, improved law and order and development of religious centres.
Defending the transformation of Ayodhya, the chief minister said the temple town had been developed in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision with better roads, rail connectivity, an international airport and improved facilities for pilgrims.
"Despite the misinformation campaign by the opposition, devotees are visiting Ayodhya in large numbers," he said.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party over government recruitment, Adityanath alleged that the "Saifai family used to loot jobs meant for the youth and auction them off", depriving deserving candidates of employment. He said hundreds of youths from Pratapgarh had secured jobs in the recent police recruitment drive and many others were succeeding in various state recruitment examinations.
The chief minister also highlighted his government's welfare and development initiatives, saying Pratapgarh had undergone a major transformation in infrastructure, healthcare and connectivity over the past few years.
Several ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior BJP leaders attended the programme.
