New Delhi, Nov 9 — The BJP on Monday strongly criticised Samajwadi Party MP, Sanatan Pandey, for defending former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister late Mulayam Singh Yadav's decision to order firing on Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya in 1990, accusing the SP of pursuing vote-bank politics and religious appeasement.
BJP leaders said firing on unarmed people could not be justified under any circumstances and described Pandey's remarks as an attempt to defend a controversial chapter in the state's political history in which 15 people died.
Speaking to IANS, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Brajesh Pathak, accused the Samajwadi Party of continuing to pursue Muslim appeasement politics.
"The Samajwadi Party has consistently engaged in appeasement of Muslims, and this latest statement is an extension of that politics. The party tries to convince Hindus of its devotion and seeks the blessings of Lord Ram, but it can never truly belong to Lord Ram or Lord Hanuman. Its leaders repeatedly make statements that can create unrest in society," Pathak said.
He further alleged that the SP viewed Muslims merely as a vote bank and used caste-based divisions and religious appeasement for electoral gains.
"For them, Muslims are simply a vote bank, and the nation will never forgive them for such comments. For them, politics is all about dividing people on caste lines and pursuing religious appeasement for votes," he claimed.
BJP MP, Tarun Chugh, also launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, alleging that Pandey's remarks amounted to an admission of the firing on Kar Sevaks.
"The Samajwadi Party has finally accepted that it attacked unarmed, innocent people. This is a black chapter in the history of the nation, and the Samajwadi party takes pride in it," Chugh claimed.
BJP National Spokesperson, Guru Prakash, also condemned Pandey's remarks, saying that justifying the killings reflected what he described as the SP's anti-Sanatan and anti-Hindu stance.
The BJP leaders were reacting to Pandey's statement, in which he defended Mulayam Singh Yadav's decision to order firing on Kar Sevaks, arguing that it was necessary to protect the Constitution and prevent a possible civil war and deaths in the country.
Speaking to reporters, Pandey had said: "I say that firing bullets to save the Constitution of India was absolutely the right thing to do by the respected Netaji. He fired the bullets to save India."
He further claimed that had Mulayam Singh Yadav not ordered the firing, the disputed mosque in Ayodhya would have been demolished, potentially triggering widespread unrest.
"Had Netaji not come and ordered the firing, the mosque would have been demolished; the disputed structure would have been demolished. At that time, temples were also being demolished in other countries. So, a civil war could have broken out in India. We had the firing carried out to save India and its Constitution," Pandey said.
He also questioned why some leaders within his own party hesitated to defend the former Chief Minister's decision, asserting that the party had acted in accordance with its understanding of constitutional responsibilities.
The firing on Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya in October and November 1990, during Mulayam Singh Yadav's tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, remains a politically sensitive episode associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.