A statue of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, installed at a camp in the Maha Kumbh Mela area, has sparked controversy, with seers raising objections. The two-to-three-foot tall statue was inaugurated on Saturday at the camp in Sector 16, established by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Smriti Seva Sansthan.
The installation drew sharp criticism from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, whose president, Mahant Ravindra Puri, described Yadav’s views as “anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan.”
Mahant Puri stated, “Everyone knows what his contribution has been in the Ram temple movement. He has always been anti-Hindu, anti-Sanatan, and in favour of Muslims.”
Puri further alleged that the statue was intended to remind seers of incidents in which Yadav had “killed” members of their community.
The statue, inaugurated by Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey, aimed to promote Yadav’s ideas, according to Pandey.
“Pilgrims and other people are welcomed to go to the camp, have food, and stay there. A small statue of Mulayam Singh Yadav has been installed in a symbolic manner,” Pandey told media persons.
He added that the idol would be returned to the party office after the conclusion of the Maha Kumbh.
Pandey, who also took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, declined to confirm whether SP chief Akhilesh Yadav would visit the event.
“I have not spoken to him in this regard,” he remarked.
The criticism was echoed by Mahamandaleshwar Yati Narsinghanand of the Juna Akhara, who supported Puri’s remarks and termed the Akhara Parishad’s condemnation of the statue installation as “justified.”
Mulayam Singh Yadav, a towering figure in Indian politics, served as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister three times and as Defence Minister of India.
He was elected as an MLA ten times and an MP seven times, representing constituencies such as Mainpuri and Azamgarh. Yadav passed away on 10 October 2022.
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