Yogi Adityanath and UP lawmakers go to Ram Mandir; Akhilesh Yadav’s group is not there

On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, visited the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and offered prayers, accompanied by a number of state legislators from both houses.

After taking many busses from the state capital to the temple town in Ayodhya, Chief Minister Adityanath met up with the lawmakers.

The group also included Kunwar Manvendra Singh, the chairman of the state legislative council, and Satish Mahana, the speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

The Samajwadi Party, however, made the decision not to go with the group to the Ram Mandir.

A sizable gathering in Ayodhya greeted the leaders with traditional dances and art forms.

The Chief Minister and Speaker Mahana extended an invitation to the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council members to worship to Ram Lalla at Ayodhya. Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the SP, turned down the offer.

The speaker addressed Akhilesh during Saturday’s House budget debate, saying, “You come with us to Ayodhya tomorrow.”
In response, the assembly’s leader of opposition said, “We will go only when Lord Shri Ram calls us.”

“All of us are going as ‘Ram bhakts’ (devotees of Lord Ram),” Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya stated before departing for the holy city, criticizing the Samajwadi Party. The Samaaptwaadi party is the only group that is not attending.

It is a question of faith, according to Speaker Mahana. It was not possible to compel somebody to go to the ‘darbaar’ of any god. If someone has not arrived for a variety of reasons, then that is his problem.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a ceremony on January 22 at the opulent Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to dedicate a new idol of Lord Ram. The following day, the temple was opened to the public.

The visit—which was originally scheduled on February 1—had to be postponed because of the high volume of worshippers visiting the temple.