Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday slammed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his recent remarks on Ayodhya, accusing the former chief minister and his party of having a history of opposing Hindu religious traditions in the state and questioning their commitment towards the development of the temple town.
Adityanath’s comments came after Yadav, in a post on X on Saturday, pledged that the Samajwadi Party will develop Ayodhya into a “peerless and inimitable sacred city” if voted to power again.
“With devotion and integrity, we take this pledge that, by forming a new government, we shall develop ‘Ayodhya’ into a peerless and inimitable sacred city, where devotees from across the world will experience the unparalleled essence of true spirituality,” Akhilesh Yadav wrote.
हम धर्मनिष्ठता और सत्यनिष्ठता के साथ ये संकल्प लेते हैं कि नई सरकार बनाकर ‘अयोध्या’ को एक ऐसी अनुपम-अनुकरणीय धार्मिक नगरी के रूप में विकसित करेंगे, जहाँ विश्व भर से आए श्रद्धालु सच्ची आध्यात्मिकता की अद्वितीय अनुभूति करेंगे।
प्रभु के आशीर्वाद के साथ, हम अयोध्या के सनातन मान को…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 27, 2026
While addressing a gathering in Hathras, Yogi Adityanth raised questions over Akhilesh Yadav-led party’s record when it was in power and asserted that Ayodhya has regained global prominence under the BJP government.
“I am surprised; I was reading a statement by Samajwadi Party President Shri Akhilesh Yadav ji yesterday. He was saying that when his government comes to power, it will make Ayodhya a religious city. What religious city will you make? You should look at your own history. Your own people fired bullets at Ram devotees. The Samajwadi Party government ordered firing on them,” IANS quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
Talking about the transformation of Ayodhya in recent times, Adityanath credited the efforts of Ram devotees as well as the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for restoring the city’s religious and cultural identity.
“Today, when Ayodhya, through the hard work and efforts of Ram devotees and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi ji, is now reminding us of the ‘Treta Yuga’, you are also tempted by the idea,” he said.
The Chief Minister further stated that the previous government in the state had taken steps that were against Hindu religious practices, claiming that the celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami had been stopped in police stations and jails during the Samajwadi Party’s regime.
“Today, when our representatives were saying that more than 22 temples were beautified in Hathras, was this possible during the time of the Samajwadi Party? It was not possible during their time because, at that time, this money used to go towards the boundary walls of graveyards, and that is what we have diverted towards temples,” he said.
He asserted that Ayodhya’s religious character had been further strengthened under the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh.
He has advised the Opposition leaders to “have a glimpse of Ramlala once”.