President of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) Shivpal Yadav met Governor Ram Naik on Sunday and expressed his concern over the “large and unlawful” gathering of people in Ayodhya. He questioned the wisdom of the UP government in allowing the Dharma Sabha in Ayodhya despite the prohibitory orders in force in the temple town.
Coming out of the meeting, the former Minister said it was a matter of grave concern that despite prohibitory orders, lakhs of people were allowed and even facilitated by the State Government to gather in the temple town. He added that it was an attempt by some forces to stoke communal passions that posed a danger to the harmony in Uttar Pradesh as well as the nation. Shivpal Yadav, along with the party leaders, led a march from the party office on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg to the Raj Bhawan.
Shivpal Yadav, who is the younger brother of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, also questioned the silence of the Yogi Adityanath government on the Dharma Sabha being held in Ayodhya by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday.
“A similar situation had arisen in 1992 and it is for everyone to see what happened...the matter is before the Supreme Court and everyone should show patience,” he said while pointing out that there was a large stretch of land on the banks of the Saryu river which was under government control and that a Ram temple can be constructed there. “Why this obstinacy to build a Ram temple at the spot where Babri mosque was razed,” the PSP(L) leader said. He also warned that the BJP and its affiliates should not do anything that threatened the communal fabric and lead to riots and violence. “There are better things for the state and the central governments to do rather than going on name-changing spree of districts and installing statues,” he added.