By Sanjay Pandey
In an apparent bid to blunt the “pro-Muslim” tag of his party and counter the BJP’s attack on him by raking up the incident of firing on the ‘karsevaks’ in Ayodhya when his father was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhlesh Yadav appears to have decided to follow the soft hindutva strategy in the forthcoming assembly polls in the state.
Akhilesh, who had said that “Lord Krishna appeared in his dreams every night” and told him that he would establish “Ram Rajya”, is contemplating visiting Ayodhya and viewing ‘Ramlala’ at the makeshift Ram Temple over the next few days.
Sources in the SP said that Akhilesh might visit Ayodhya later this week as part of the Samajwadi ‘Vijay Rath Yatra’ and address public meetings in different parts of the district. “He may also visit the makeshift Ram Temple at Ayodhya,” a senior SP leader told DH.
Under attack from the BJP for allegedly pursuing “politics of appeasement” during his regime and firing on (BJP) workers in Ayodhya during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, Akhilesh had recently said that the Ram Temple would have been constructed long back had his party been in power in the state.
Almost in all their public meetings, the BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have been raking up the Ayodhya issue to target Akhilesh.
While the SP leaders think that Akhilesh’s visit may help blunt the BJP’s attack on him and also help rid his party of the “pro-Muslim” tag, the BJP leaders sought to dub it as “political stunt” aimed at garnering the support of the Hindus ahead of the polls. “It will also make it difficult for the BJP to polarise the forthcoming polls along religious lines,” the SP leader said.
”It is a farce… those who ordered firing on the Rambhakts have been sporting tilak and paying respect to Lord Rama for electoral gains but the people of the state know the truth…they will not be fooled,” a local BJP leader said.
This story first appeared on deccanherald.com