Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath amid the ongoing Sambhal excavations. He took a jibe at CM Yogi Adityanath claiming that there might be “Shivling” beneath the CM’s residence. He escalated his attack on the BJP government claiming that the excavation work is to hide their failures.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Since the excavation work is underway, I believe that there is a Shivling at the Chief Minister’s residence too…we have faith that the Shivling is there. We should all prepare for its excavation…The media should go first we will join after that.”
#WATCH | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "Since the excavation work is underway, I believe that there is a Shivling at the Chief Minister's residence too…we have faith that the Shivling is there. We should all prepare for its excavation…The media should… pic.twitter.com/nY6iSR1yXe
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2024
During the press conference, Akhilesh Yadav, criticised the BJP government for bringing deterioration rather than progress. He claimed that under the BJP government, Uttar Pradesh has become number one in borrowings and debt. Further he accused the government of cheating the farmers. “Has the income of farmers doubled?” he asked. “Houses of innocent people are being demolished illegally by bulldozers, “he added.
“This is not development but destruction. There is no line of development in the hands of the chief minister, there is a line of destruction (’mukhyamantree jee ke haath mein vikaas kee rekha nahin hai, vinaash kee rekha hai’),” he said.
BJP Slams Akhilesh Yadav
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, slammed Akhilesh Yadav for “mocking Shivling” and Hindu faith. He strongly condemned the statement and accused the Samajwadi party for repeatedly making fun of Hindu devotees and insulting Sanatan Dharma.
In a tweet on X, he called out the Samajwadi Party for their “Hindu Virohi” stance. “Shameless Samajwadi Party. Now mocking Shivling for scoring points with Votebank. They celebrated killing Ram Bhakts, abused Hindus and Sanatan. They called Mathadish as Mafia and now this..” he tweeted.
“From celebrating the killing of Ram Bhakts to abusing Sanatan dharma several times, the Samajwadi Party has an anti- Hindu agenda in its DNA. Now they have said there’s a Shivling below UP CM’s residence and it must be excavated,” News18 quoted him saying.
Further he asked, “Can this (mocking of Shivling) be said about any other faith or religion? They have insulted Hindu deities for vote bank politics.”
Shameless Samajwadi Party
Now mocking Shivling for scoring points with VotebankThey celebrated killing Ram Bhakts
They abused Hindus and Sanatan
They called Mathadish as Mafia and now thisHindu Virodhi SP pic.twitter.com/v5OmMMQRLu
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) December 29, 2024
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi, asked why “he (Akhilesh Yadav) has a problem” with Sambhal excavations.
PTI quoted him saying, “Why does Akhilesh Yadav have a problem with digging (in Sambhal)? In 2013, he had used the entire state machinery to excavate 1,000 tonnes of gold. He is ready to excavate gold, but has a problem with a Shivling, and that’s why he talking of digging the CM’s residence.”