BJP Targets Samajwadi Party Over 1990 Ram Janmabhoomi Firing Stance

BJP leaders have slammed the Samajwadi Party after MP Sanatan Pandey defended the 1990 firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya, intensifying political tensions ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Political War Over 1990 Ayodhya Firing

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tarun Chugh on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) over its MP Sanatan Pandey's defence of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's decision to order firing on 'kar sevaks' during the 1990 Ram Janmabhoomi movement, saying the party's "anti-Hindu, anti-Sanatan, anti-Ram" face cannot be forgotten.

A political war of words erupted and triggered sharp reactions from BJP leaders who accused the SP of being anti-Hindu and practising appeasement politics. BJP leaders hit out at Pandey over his remarks, demanding accountability from the SP leadership and questioning party chief Akhilesh Yadav's silence on the issue.

Pandey Defends Mulayam Singh Yadav

Pandey had strongly defended Mulayam Singh Yadav, maintaining that the firing was ordered to uphold the Constitution and prevent a possible civil war in the country. He accused the BJP of misleading people for over three decades by repeatedly politicising the 1990 incident.

"For 35 years, ever since 1991, they (BJP) have been criticising Mulayam Singh Yadav, claiming that he ordered firing on Ram devotees. They have used this narrative to mislead the public. But tell me, under their own rule, just recently, who ordered the firing on others? Whose government was in power in the state? Whose government was in power at the Centre?," he said.

"If Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) ordered the firing to protect the Constitution of India, then it was the absolutely correct course of action," Pandey said. He maintained that the disputed site, where the Ram Temple now stands, was required to be protected at the time and that the responsibility of preventing people from reaching it rested with the Centre and local authorities.

"At that time, the Indian Army had been deployed. The primary responsibility lay in ensuring that no one reached the disputed structure, referred to here as the Ram Mandir, which was already subject to a court-ordered stay. How did the individuals, the Ram Bhakts, manage to reach it? The responsibility for this also rested with the Central government, as well as with the local authorities tasked with maintaining law and order," he said.

Pandey further argued that the firing prevented a much larger escalation that could have severely affected the country's social fabric. "Had the order not been given to open fire, the mosque or the temple might have been destroyed; such an event could well have triggered a civil war in India, much like the destruction of temples that occurred in other countries. Therefore, the firing was ordered to protect the Constitution of India," he said.

BJP Leaders Hit Back

Reacting to the remarks, BJP MP Tarun Chugh said the Samajwadi Party's actions during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement could not be forgotten and accused it of displaying an anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan outlook.

"The nation is well aware of the many sins committed by the Samajwadi Party. The party itself has acknowledged its and the Congress party's stance—whether on December 6, 1992, or October 30, 1990—regarding the Ram Mandir. The narrow lanes of Ayodhya were stained red with the blood of 'kar sevaks' at the hands of Samajwadi Party goons... The Saryu River was left covered with corpses," he told ANI.

"These sins of the Samajwadi Party cannot be forgotten. This reveals the party’s anti-Hindu, anti-Sanatan, anti-Ram, and anti-Ayodhya face—a face they continue to flaunt with pride today. It is the arrogance of the Samajwadi Party speaking," Chugh added.

Criticism from Ravi Kishan and Ram Kadam

BJP MP Ravi Kishan, reacting to the same remarks in Gorakhpur, alleged that crimes and violence were commonplace during the SP's tenure and questioned the party's political outlook.

"What can you expect from them? This is their very ideology... Look, murders and crimes were a very common occurrence back when they were in power. Someone dying, shots being fired, a daughter being abducted, rapes taking place—they treated these as trivial matters. 'They are just school children; they make mistakes'—that was their stance, that is their ideology," he said.

"What can you possibly expect from the prominent figures of this party? You cannot expect anything good from them. Just imagine what the parents of those victims must have gone through...They were asking for the site where, after the arrival of Mughal invaders, a temple had been demolished to build a mosque... Instead, they were met with gunfire...Their true ideology and mindset have now been exposed. The public should take note—elections are approaching, and they will give them a fitting, crushing reply," Kishan said.

BJP leader Ram Kadam also criticised Pandey, alleging that the SP MP had justified the killing of unarmed kar sevaks during the 1990 movement. He questioned why Akhilesh Yadav had not responded to the remarks.

"Samajwadi Party MP Sanatan Pandey claims that during the 1990 kar seva in Ayodhya, the kar sevaks—our sadhus and sants—were gunned down, and he asserts that this was the right thing to do. What has happened to the Samajwadi Party and its leaders? In 1990, when the kar seva took place in Ayodhya, the kar sevaks did not even have a stone, a gun, or a stick in their hands; they were completely unarmed. They were chanting the name of Lord Ram..." he said.

"The Samajwadi Party government in power at the time had them all gunned down. It did not stop there—our sadhus and sants were tied to sandbags and thrown into the Saryu River. Yet, the current Samajwadi Party MP, Sanatan Pandey, justifies this—and Akhilesh Yadav remains silent. Why?," he stated.

"Is it because you want to engage in the politics of appeasement? Are you trying to please a particular religion? Is the Samajwadi Party so certain of defeat in the Uttar Pradesh elections that it has resorted to the politics of appeasement to secure a vote bank? "And if that is the kind of politics you intend to pursue, then why does Akhilesh Yadav put on a charade of visiting the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya? Akhilesh Yadav must provide answers to all these questions," Kadam said.

Yogi Adityanath's Stance

The political exchange follows Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's recent attack on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, asking him to apologise to the kar sevaks who were fired upon during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Addressing an event in Ayodhya, Adityanath said, "Please come, but first, make sure you apologise to the kar sevaks who were fired upon. You must express remorse."

The issue has once again brought the 1990 firing incident into the political spotlight as parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)