Will visit other temples after construction of Mahadev mandir in Etawah is complete: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow, Nov 25 (PTI) On a day the "Dharm Dhwaj" was hoisted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi atop Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said he will visit "other temples" after the construction of the Shri Kedareshwar Mahadev Mandir in Etawah is complete.

Yadav had skipped the 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration ceremony) of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir on January 22 last year, saying he would visit the temple along with his family after the ceremony.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister wrote in Hindi, "Completion leads to completion. With divine inspiration, once the construction of the Shri Kedareshwar Mahadev Mandir in Etawah is complete, we will also fulfil our resolve to visit other temples." In the same post, Yadav added, "Faith is the energy that fills life with positivity and harmony. It is divine will that creates the path for 'darshan'; it is that will which calls. The truth is that all of us simply walk on the path created by God. Stay faithful, stay positive!" The ceremonial hoisting of the religious flag atop the Ram Janmabhoomi temple marks the formal completion of its construction.

The BJP leaders have routinely targeted Yadav for not visiting the Ram temple since its consecration.

Though invited for the consecration ceremony last year, Akhilesh Yadav thanked the Ram Mandir trust for inviting him to the 'Pran Pratishtha' on January 22 but said that he would visit the temple with his family after the event.

While skipping the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple last year, Yadav wrote to Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra general secretary Champat Rai intimating him about his decision.

"Thank you for the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple and congratulations on its successful completion. I will surely visit Ayodhya with my family after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony," he wrote.

During a discussion on the Budget in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in February last year, Speaker Satish Mahana had urged Yadav to come along with other legislators for a visit to the Ram temple. "We will go only when Lord Shri Ram calls us," Akhilesh had replied. PTI CDN KSS KSS