4 min readLucknowJul 2, 2026 04:09 AM IST
First published on: Jul 2, 2026 at 04:09 AM IST
After Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked Akhilesh Yadav to visit Ram Temple in Ayodhya for “good sense”, the Samajwadi Party chief on Wednesday said that he would visit the temple after the completion of Kedareshwar Dham in Etawah.
Speaking to mediapersons at SP headquarters in Lucknow on the occasion of his birthday, Akhilesh, when asked about his plans to visit Ram Temple, said, “Bhagwan Prabhu Shri Ram sabke hain. (Lord Ram belongs to everyone.) We have been revering Lord Ram before the BJP asked for it, and we all have Ram Darbar placed in our homes. And we worship (Lord Ram). There would be no Indian sanatani family where this tradition is not followed. But which is this sanatani tradition that BJP will decide everything?”
“We are building Kedareshwar Dham. Once it is completed, we will go there (Ram temple in Ayodhya) for darshan.”
Attributing a post to Yadav on “X”, SP said, “Hum Kedareshwar Dham bana rahein hain. Wo nirman pura hote hi hum log Ram Mandir ke darshan karenge. (We will visit Ram temple after the completion of Kedareshwar Dham.”
SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told The Indian Express, “Akhilesh ji has said that he will visit Ram temple in Ayodhya for darshan after performing puja at Kedareshwar Dham temple.” Chaudhary confirmed that Akhilesh has never visited the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the past.
On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath had hit out at Akhilesh, asking him to visit the Ram Temple and get good sense (sadbuddhi). “Akhilesh ji, you don’t worry about Ayodhya, you repent. Have darshan of lord Shri Ram Lalla at least once. At the very least, this will bring you good sense…”
Invoking the police firing on kar sevaks during the Ram temple movement in 1990, when Akhilesh’s father and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister of UP, Adityanath has also said, “Aap kya dharmik nagari banayenge? Apna itihaas dekhiye. Ram bhakton par goli aap hi ke logon ne chalayi thi (What religious city will you build? Look at your own history. Your people had opened fire on Ram devotees).”
The Kedareshwar Dham in Etawah is spread across about 11 acres, and its foundation was laid by Akhilesh Yadav in 2021, seven months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the same for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A trust headed by Akhilesh Yadav is engaged in the construction of the temple, and it is likely to be completed before the 2027 Assembly elections in UP.
Earlier in the day, Akhilesh accused the BJP of betraying both Lord Shri Ram and the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference here at party headquarters on his birthday, the former chief minister said the BJP has hurt people’s faith, referring to the alleged theft of offerings made by devotees.
“The BJP has played with the Constitution, faith and devotion… The first name of maryada (propriety) is Lord Shri Ram, and the second is the Constitution. The BJP has betrayed both. It has deceived both Lord Ram and the Constitution,” Akhilesh, who turned 53 on Wednesday, said.
“The people saved the Constitution through their vote. Now the BJP wants to change the Constitution by poaching opposition MPs. This is a very serious issue,” he added.
The SP chief claimed that recent developments surrounding the Ram Temple had politically exposed the BJP. “By the grace of Lord Ram, what has happened has exposed them. Lord Ram himself has revealed their true face and shown the country the right direction,” he said.
With PTI
Akhilesh Yadav 
Share
