Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes BJP Over Ayodhya Temple Fund Mismanagement

On Monday, Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, launched a fierce attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding allegations of misappropriation of donations for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He asserted that this incident has revealed the rifts between the central and Uttar Pradesh governments. During a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav stated that instead of resolving this issue tied to people's religious sentiments, the BJP is more focused on its internal conflicts. He pointed out that before the central government could take any action, the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, had already ordered an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), highlighting their differences.

Yadav remarked that the so-called double-engine government (both at the state and central levels) is not functioning cohesively, but rather is in conflict. He emphasized that there is a struggle for power, and the sentiments of the people are being disregarded. He accused the BJP of playing with the faith and devotion of the public. He noted that if this matter involved the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI, or the Income Tax Department, the investigation would have been conducted in Delhi. However, before any action could be taken in Delhi, Lucknow took charge, a situation resulting from the power struggle. The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has been consistently targeting the BJP over the alleged theft of Ram Temple donations, aiming to leverage this issue ahead of the upcoming assembly elections next year.

Yadav's party faced defeat in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and has been out of power since then. However, with hopes of a strong comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party aims to secure a significant number of the 80 seats in the state. On Monday, Yadav also criticized BJP's national president Nitin Naveen during his two-day visit to Lucknow, claiming that the BJP will replace many of its leaders in various constituencies for the 2027 assembly elections. Furthermore, he accused the BJP of weakening the state's infrastructure, stating that he read in the newspapers that Uttar Pradesh has seen the highest number of engineering colleges shut down. He expressed concern that the Chief Minister does not even understand what engineering entails. He criticized the design of a ₹7,000 crore green corridor in Lucknow, which he claimed would cause frequent stops for travelers.