'First apologise to devotees, saints': UP CM ahead of Akhilesh's Ram Temple visit

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said those who had ordered firing on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge should apologise before visiting the Ram Mandir, taking an apparent swipe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is scheduled to visit the temple on December 12.

Speaking at the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Adityanath said political leaders who had neglected the temple town and insulted its devotees must first acknowledge their past actions. "Those who had neglected and insulted (Ayodhya), who had opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge, should certainly come to Ayodhya, but only after apologising. Let them apologise once to Ram devotees and once to the saints. Let them repent for their actions," news agency PTI quoted the chief minister as saying.

Though he did not name Yadav or the Samajwadi Party, his remarks came hours after former SP MLA Pawan Pandey announced that the party chief and his wife, Dimple Yadav, would visit the Ram Temple and Hanumangarhi on December 12. The visit would be Akhilesh's first to the Ram Temple since its inauguration in January 2024.

Adityanath also criticised previous governments for their handling of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya. Recalling the decades-long temple movement, he said the city was now regaining its former glory following the inauguration of the Ram Temple. "There was a time when even uttering the name of Shri Ram in Ayodhya invited lathis and bullets. Banning the very name of Ram in this city was a sin. Ayodhya was neglected and almost consigned to oblivion. Today, that very Ayodhya has come alive again, reminding us of the Treta Yuga," he said.

The chief minister also took aim at unnamed political leaders over their conduct at religious gatherings, questioning whether they understood the decorum of a religious discourse. "Sometimes I am surprised at these people. When they go to a religious discourse, they do not even know the decorum of a katha (religious narration). Is it a katha or a mushaira (Urdu poetry gathering)?" he said. In another apparent reference to the opposition, Adityanath criticised those who had challenged the existence of Lord Ram in court during the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, calling the acceptance of his existence an "ideological victory".