Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday hit out at the Samajwadi Party, claiming that its leadership is opposed to development in key areas, particularly in Ayodhya, and that it is pained by anything that bolsters the Sanatan Dharma and national pride at events like the Maha Kumbh.
Speaking at a rally in support of BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan for the Milkipur by-election, Adityanath pointed out that for the past two months, the SP president (Akhilesh Yadav) had been voicing opposition to the Maha Kumbh on social media, despite the event drawing 34 crore devotees from across the world.
He claimed that the Maha Kumbh, which witnessed dignitaries such as the Vice President and ambassadors from various countries, received global praise, but the SP appeared to be pained by such displays of national pride. Without development, millions of devotees would not be able to visit Ayodhya every day, he said, adding that compensation worth over Rs 1700 crore was disbursed for road widening projects but the SP opposed these works.
“Whenever development projects we initiated in Ayodhya, such as naming the airport after Maharishi Valmiki or naming night shelters after Nishadraj Guhya, the SP opposed them,” he further remarked. The government, the Chief Minister said, formed three women’s battalions of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) in the state — Virangana Uda Devi, Jhalkari Bai and Avanti Bai Lodhi — but the SP even opposed this initiative.
He also condemned the SP for allegedly opposing the Vijay Samarak (victory memorial) of Maharaj Suheldev in Bahraich, advocating instead for a memorial to a “ghazi”. He also accused the SP of endorsing individuals with criminal backgrounds, referring to Milkipur’s Moid Khan and Kannauj’s Nawab Singh Yadav, despite their alleged involvement in unlawful activities.
Moid and Yadav have been jailed in rape cases.
He also accused the Opposition party of siding with anti-India elements and criminals, while referring to incidents like the brutal killing of a Dalit girl in Mainpuri during the assembly by-election. Similar incidents, like a recent crime in Ayodhya, were likely connected to SP members, he said.
He said this in reference to an incident in which the body of a missing woman, bearing injury marks, was found in Ayodhya a day ago. Ayodhya had seen a massive increase in tourist footfall, with 16.11 crore devotees visiting the city in 2024, compared to just 2.35 lakh under the SP government in 2016, he added.
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“We want to extend the model of development to Milkipur as well, just like we have done in Ayodhya,” the CM said.
The election, he claimed, had become a battle between “nationalism and nepotism”, pointing to the candidacy of BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan, who he said stands for nationalism, with that of the SP’s candidate, who he alleged, was linked to the land mafia. The SP’s sole focus was on family interests and caste-based politics which hindered the region’s development, the CM further said.
The Anti-Land Mafia Task Force set up by the BJP government had successfully reclaimed 64,000 acres of land from criminals, Adityanath said, adding that the SP feared that such initiatives would threaten their illegal practices and political gains. Several ministers, including Agriculture Minister and minister in-charge for Ayodhya, Surya Pratap Shahi, were present during the rally.
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