BJP ally backs Akhilesh Yadav's call to bring Army into Ayodhya

Lucknow, Nov 24: Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), the BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh has come out in support of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's statement on Ayodhya.

"I welcome Akhilesh's statement. Section 144 is imposed in Ayodhya, yet the administration is letting people gather there, it means they have failed. The army should be brought," said Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) President OP Rajbhar on Saturday.

"Chief Minister (Yogi Adiyanath) is interested in election campaigning when Section 144 is imposed in Faizabad (Ayodhya). The kind of crowd that has gathered there... its responsibility will lie with the Chief Minister," he added.

SBSP is a BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh while Rajbhar is the state Minister of the Department of Backward Classes Welfare and the Department of Disabled People.

Rajbhar, who has often been critical of the BJP government in the state, was especially concerned about the widespread flouting of restrictions in the city.

"The Chief Minister is interested in election campaigning at a time when Section 144 has been imposed in Faizabad (Ayodhya). This means that the administration has failed, and the Army should be brought in," the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader said, adding that he welcomes Yadav's statement.

Earlier this month, he had declared that the Ram temple agitation is nothing but a "drama" that plays out every time the elections approach. A few days on, he asked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to rename Muslim leaders in the BJP before changing the names of towns and cities.

Uttar Pradesh BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey subsequently termed Rajbhar as a "necessary evil who shouldn't be taken seriously".

Ahead of the Dharam Sabha being held in Ayodhya on Sunday to push for the construction of a Ram temple, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said if required the Army should be deployed in the town.

Talking to reporters Friday, Yadav had said, "The Supreme Court should take notice of the situation in Uttar Pradesh. It should seriously consider the matter and bring in the Army, if required... as the BJP and its allies can go to any extent," Yadav told reporters.

The Dharam Sabha is being touted as one of the largest congregations of Lord Ram devotees after December 6, 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished, but some Muslim leaders view it as a move to polarise the voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.