'If Akhilesh comes to power, he will have namaz offered in Ram Mandir': UP minister

UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of planning to offer namaz inside the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, if the SP party returns to power in the upcoming 2027 assembly elections. Rajbhar responded to Akhilesh's promise of transforming Ayodhya into a global capital for Sanatan pilgrimage, expressing skepticism about the SP chief's record during his tenure as chief minister between 2012 and 2017.

The minister claimed that the only achievement accomplished by the SP during its five-year rule was offering namaz at Hanuman Garhi. Rajbhar's remarks come amid a heated war of words between the BJP and SP ahead of Akhilesh's proposed family visit to Ayodhya on December 12. SP leader Pankaj Chaudhary also criticized the SP chief's decision to visit the temple, accusing him of practicing appeasement politics and distancing himself from genuine devotion to Ram.