Lucknow (UP): Newly elected Samajwadi Party MP from Faizabad, Awadhesh Prasad, criticised the BJP on Thursday, claiming the party is not the “true” follower of Lord Ram and accusing it of exploiting his name for political gain and deceiving the public. Prasad defeated his closest competitor from the BJP, Lallu Singh, by 54,567 votes in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad parliamentary seat, where a grand Ram temple was constructed in Ayodhya following a Supreme Court order. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the temple’s consecration ceremony on January 22. “The BJP has politicised Ayodhya. They have acted against the honour of Maryada Purushottam Ram,” Prasad said. During the recent Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders credited Modi with the construction of the Ram temple, making it a central theme of their campaign.
When asked about the BJP’s slogan “Jo Ram ko laaye hain hum unko layenge” (those who have brought Ram, we will bring them), Prasad responded, “The BJP did not bring Ram. This slogan is false. The public has understood this very well. Ram came thousands of years ago, no one brought him.”
“Ram resides in everyone’s heart. He is the centre of everyone’s faith. The BJP used Ram’s name for political purposes and deceived the country. They have damaged the nation,” he said.
Describing himself as a “true” Ram bhakt (devotee of Lord Ram), Prasad said, “I am very fortunate to have been born in Ayodhya. I studied there. My grandfather, father, brother, and maternal uncle are named after Ram. We (the Samajwadi Party) contested elections from a seat under global scrutiny...people of the BJP are not the genuine followers of Ram. We are the true followers.”
Regarding the BJP’s promise of establishing Ram Rajya in the country, Prasad remarked that in Ram Rajya, people did not suffer. However, under the BJP’s rule, people have faced numerous issues, including inflation and unemployment.
Criticising the BJP’s Agnipath army recruitment scheme, Prasad said, “This scheme insulted our country’s army. When our INDIA bloc government is formed, the Agniveer Yojana will be abolished,” he added.