Election Stunt? VHP Rips Into Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘Siyaram Dham’ Ayodhya Promise

The Vishva Hindu Parishad has rejected Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s promise to develop Ayodhya as “Siyaram Dham”, saying the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s record in the temple town does not support such a claim. The organisation also demanded police action against Congress leaders over allegations linked to valuables and donations associated with the Ram temple.

The VHP’s response came after Yadav said faith had been “played with” amid an ongoing probe into alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations. He promised that if the Samajwadi Party returned to power in Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya would be developed as an “inimitable” sacred city. The Congress, separately, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the allegations and sought a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.

VHP questions Akhilesh Yadav’s Ayodhya promise

VHP international president Alok Kumar described Yadav’s statement as an election-time promise made in the name of Lord Ram. In a video statement posted on X, he said such promises were often made during polls without any credible record to support them.

“Akhilesh Yadav ji has made a very unusual statement that if his government comes to power, he will make Ayodhya 'Siyaram Dham’. During elections, people make promises that if they win, they will pluck stars from the sky or bring heaven down to earth. This promise of making Ayodhya 'Siyaram Dham’ falls into the same category,” Kumar said.

Kumar argued that Yadav had already served a full term as chief minister and should explain what his government did for Ayodhya during that period. He alleged that the Samajwadi Party government neither prioritised development in the temple town nor showed political commitment towards it.

“Akhilesh ji was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for a full term. He should tell the people what he did for the development of Ayodhya during that period. Throughout those five years, he neither came to Ayodhya for darshan nor worked for its development,” Kumar said.

The VHP leader further claimed that Ayodhya had poor infrastructure during the Samajwadi Party’s rule. He said the town had “broken roads” and “dilapidated infrastructure”, and alleged that no meaningful development work was carried out at the time.

Ram temple politics returns to centre stage

Ayodhya remains one of the most politically sensitive religious centres in India. The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in January 2024 made the city a major national political and cultural focus. Since then, infrastructure, tourism, temple management and political messaging around Ayodhya have stayed at the centre of public debate.

The BJP has projected the transformation of Ayodhya as a major achievement, highlighting new roads, airport connectivity, railway upgrades and civic works. Opposition parties, however, have questioned aspects of land deals, temple-linked fundraising and governance around the broader development push. These competing claims have made Ayodhya a recurring theme in Uttar Pradesh politics.

Kumar also invoked the tenure of former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, referring to the firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya during his government. The reference was aimed at challenging the Samajwadi Party’s present pitch on the temple town by pointing to its political past.

“When his father Mulayam Singh Yadav ji was the chief minister, bullets were fired in Ayodhya and kar sevaks were killed. Now they are saying they will make it 'Siyaram Dham’. People will look at their past record and see that nothing was done,” Kumar said.

He added that slogans in the name of Lord Ram would not work unless backed by public trust. “Merely giving attractive election slogans in the name of Lord Ram will not work. The public understands the reality. It understands the attempts made to malign Ram Janmabhoomi, and it will punish them,” he said.

VHP seeks action over Congress allegations

The VHP also criticised the Congress for raising allegations that valuables worth thousands of crores had gone missing from the Ram temple. Kumar said those making such claims should be asked to present documentary evidence and explain the basis for the figures being cited publicly.

He referred to a statement by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra treasurer Govind Dev Giri, saying valuables such as gold and silver were safe. Kumar said claims of missing valuables should not be made without verifiable material, especially because of the temple’s emotional importance for millions of devotees.

“Yesterday, we read the statement of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra treasurer Govind Dev Giri ji that all the gold, silver and other valuable articles are safe and secure. Yet we continue to hear that gold, silver and other valuable items have disappeared,” Kumar said.

He asked where the claim of “thousands of crores” had come from and on what basis it was being alleged that valuables had disappeared. The VHP leader said such statements could create suspicion among devotees and disturb public order if they were not backed by evidence.

Kumar accused Congress leaders of spreading rumours to create unrest and demanded action under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He said police should question those making the allegations and ask them to provide material supporting their claims.

“And if they fail to provide such material — and I believe they have none — then this rumour-mongering, carried out with political motives to create distrust, resentment and hurt the faith of Hindus, should invite legal action,” Kumar said.

The exchange shows how Ayodhya has again become a sharp political fault line, with development promises, temple management and allegations over donations now feeding into wider electoral messaging. For voters, the issue is likely to be judged not only through religious sentiment, but also through evidence, governance records and the credibility of the claims being made.

With inputs from PTI