SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Ballia: Two Samajwadi Party Lok MPs on Monday sought to justify the 1990 police firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya, saying that the then chief minister, late Mulayam Singh Yadav, acted as per the Constitution.
Ballia MP Sanatan Pandey and Salempur MP Ramashankar Rajbhar Vidyarthi asserted that Mulayam was duty-bound to act, adding that he did what was necessary to protect the Constitution.
The remarks came days after the announcement that party chief Akhilesh Yadav will visit the Ram temple in the poll-bound state on December 12, drawing criticism from the BJP, which has been demanding an apology for the firing and for its past stance on the temple movement.
Speaking to reporters in Ballia on Monday, Pandey said, “During Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tenure as chief minister, shots were fired at kar sevaks in Ayodhya — an action taken to strengthen the faith reposed in the Constitution of India. Mulayam Singh Yadav simply did what the Constitution of India said. We took an oath to the Constitution, and worked to fulfil that commitment.”
Asserting that the Constitution of India is supreme, Pandey said, “When people from the BJP, RSS, and Vishva Hindu Parishad climbed up the disputed dome (of Babri Masjid) and began acts of vandalism, in complete disregard for the Constitution, Mulayam Singh Yadav was the UP chief minister. A person holding a constitutional office is duty-bound to act. When a matter is disputed and sub judice, then it is our commitment and that of the officials (that status quo is maintained).”
He also asked why the BJP is demanding an apology from Akhilesh.
“We swear by the Constitution, and will work to fulfil it. Those who have stolen offerings from the Ram temple should be the ones who should apologise,” Pandey said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Salempur MP Vidyarthi told PTI on Monday in Belthara Road (in Ballia), “If Mulayam Singh Yadav committed wrongful and unconstitutional acts, the BJP, upon coming to power, should have had him imprisoned. He certainly should not have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously; nor should the official who ordered the firing have been entrusted with the responsibility for the temple.”
Vidhyarathi was referring to Mulayam Yadav being conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2022.
He also questioned the BJP’s decision to appoint Nripendra Misra, the ex- IAS officer who served as a top bureaucrat during the 1990 Ayodhya firing incident, the chairman of the Ram temple construction committee.
Refuting claims of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that firing was ordered on kar sevaks, Rajbhar said, “No political leader personally orders the firing; they issue directives. It is the officials who execute them. The BJP entrusted the very official who ordered the firing as the in-charge of the temple — an act that effectively validates the decision to open fire.”
When asked about the BJP’s allegation that chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was banned in Ayodhya during the SP rule, he said, “There has never been a ban on chanting Jai Shri Ram. I, for one, will not chant it just because the BJP is pressuring me to do so. Lord Ram resides in every single atom. If Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram was pleased with the BJP’s actions, why would he have ensured our victory in Ayodhya? Why would he have caused the BJP to lose? It was Lord Ram who delivered victory in Ayodhya, Lord Shiva in Kashi, and Lord Krishna in Mathura.”
He added that this proves that the people in the BJP are “fake followers” of Sanatan Dharma, while the “true followers” are in the Samajwadi Party.
“The SP is winning in regions associated with the various deities of Sanatan Dharma. All of this is happening by the grace of God. Lord Ram, Lord Shiv, and Lord Krishna have turned against the BJP. And in the 2027 UP Assembly elections, the party will be reduced to just 27 seats.”
Responding to a question on Akhilesh’s planned visit to the Ram temple, the Salempur MP said, “Our leader has always said that we will go only when Lord Ram calls us. Just as we are only able to visit Maa Vaishno Devi when she calls us, Lord Ram has now called us, and Akhilesh Yadav will be visiting with his family on December 12.”
In 1990, police fired on thousands of kar sevaks, mobilised by the VHP and allied organisations, who marched towards the disputed Babri Masjid site, demanding the construction of the Ram temple, defying curfew and administrative restrictions.
Mulayam, who died on October 10, 2022, was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award on April 5, 2023.
SOURCE : SIASAT
