Akhilesh's December 12 Ram Temple Visit Draws BJP Fire, Pankaj Chaudhary Demands Apology

Uttar Pradesh BJP president and Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday challenged Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya on December 6 instead of his proposed December 12 visit and apologise for the killing of kar sevaks during his party's rule.

In a post on X, Chaudhary alleged that Yadav's proposed visit was a political exercise and asked him to demonstrate genuine repentance by apologising to the families of those killed in the police firing on kar sevaks.

"If this is not a new political ploy in the name of Lord Ram but genuine repentance, then visit the Ram temple on December 6, not 12," Chaudhary said, accusing the SP of pursuing appeasement politics.

December 6 marks the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

BJP MLC Subhash Yaduvansh also criticised Yadav, alleging that the SP government had ordered firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya. He asked the SP chief to take a dip in the Saryu River and apologise to the kar sevaks and their families before visiting the temple.

BJP spokesperson Ankush Tripathi, meanwhile, targeted SP MP Sanatan Pandey over his reported remarks justifying the police firing, alleging that they hurt Hindu sentiments.

Yadav's proposed visit would be his first to the Ram temple since its consecration in January 2024. He had last visited Ayodhya on October 8 to attend a religious programme organised by former SP minister Tej Narayan Pandey.

The SP chief had earlier raised allegations of irregularities in the handling of temple donations, leading to an SIT probe. The investigation reportedly found 105 instances of alleged unauthorised removal or concealment of cash during donation counting. A chargesheet was filed against eight accused, and the Supreme Court closed its monitoring of the probe on November 2.

The political exchange comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the BJP-led NDA and the Samajwadi Party emerging as the principal political rivals in the state.