Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the ruling BJP saying it insulted Lord Ram by claiming that it "brought" Ram to the temple in Ayodhya, whereas the Hindu god always lived in the people's heart.
"When Lord Ram resides in the heart, then what is the need to take the name? Ram was there earlier too," Yadav said during the budget session in the Legislative Assembly.
"Lord Ram is there even today. Lord Ram will always be there. When we were not there, Lord Ram was, and when we would no longer be there, Lord Ram would still be there. Therefore, by saying that you have brought Lord Ram, you are not only insulting Lord Ram, but also religion," he said and asked the BJP to stop doing politics in the name of religion.
Yadav also cited the Governor's address to say Rs 31,000 crore was spent on beautification of Ayodhya ahead of Ram Temple consecration.
The former UP chief minister criticised the "big budget" presented by the treasury bench, saying it means nothing if the government chooses to spend it covertly. "The government does not provide information about how much has been spent of the amount allocated."
He said, "Whether the UP budget is of 7 lakh crore or 8 lakh crore, the biggest question will always be 'what is in it for the 90 per cent of the people of the state?'"
"The policy of the BJP is not for the common public of the state. It keeps 90 per cent of the budget for the 10 per cent rich people. And only 10 per cent of the budget for the 90 per cent of the needy people."
The SP chief in his speech mentioned several issues afflicting the state, such as inflation, law and order, unemployment, and farmer distress, and asked the government if there is enough in the budget to address these issues and also asked it to reveal the allocation towards them.
"Will the farmer get the right price for his crop? Whether the income of the farmers will be doubled? Will the labourer get the right price for his hard work?" Yadav asked, and used a Hindi proverb to claim big is not always better – 'Bada hua to kya hua jaise ped khajoor, panchi ko chhaaya nahi, phal lage ati door.'
"India is the fifth (largest) economy in the world, but 80 crore people of the country are dependent on government ration. There is no exemption in rail fare for senior citizens. For the youth, there is only four-year Agniveer recruitment in the Army," Yadav said.
The Uttar Pradesh government had on Monday presented a Rs 7.36 lakh crore budget for 2024-25 invoking Lord Ram and claiming to prioritise infrastructure development as well as the welfare of women, youth, and farmers.
UP's Finance Minister Suresh Khanna started his budget speech in the assembly with a verse of Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas and said that the state government is inspired by the concept of 'Ram Rajya.'
