Mulayam Singh Yadav's statue at Mahakumbh sparks row (x/@Dhiraj4Dynamics)
Delhi: A controversy has erupted over the unveiling of a statue of Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav at the Maha Kumbh Mela. The two-to-three-foot statue was installed on Saturday at a camp in Sector 16 by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Smriti Seva Sansthan. The event was inaugurated by Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey.
The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, an influential body of Hindu seers, condemned the installation. The president of Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri, asserted that Mulayam Singh Yadav had "anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan" views. He questioned the timing and motives behind the erection of the statue. "We have no problem with Mulayam Singh's statue as he has been a chief minister. However, everybody knows his contribution during the Ram temple movement and his pro-Muslim stance," Puri added.
Mahamandaleshwar Yati Narsinghanand of the Juna Akhara echoed Puri’s sentiments, supporting the Parishad’s condemnation of the installation.
SP leader Mata Prasad Pandey justified the step saying, "The camp has been arranged to pay obeisance to and popularise Mulayam Singh Yadav's image." "The camp is open for people coming to worship. They are welcome to stay here and dine too. The statue is a gesture of homage to 'Netaji,'" he added. Pandey said the statue would be shifted to the party office after Maha Kumbh.
When asked about SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's possible visit to the Kumbh, Pandey said he had not discussed the matter with him. Pandey himself took the holy dip at the Sangam on Saturday and said he would return.
Mulayam Singh Yadav was a towering figure in Indian politics, having served as Uttar Pradesh's chief minister three times and former defense minister of India. During his career, he was elected as an MLA ten times and as an MP seven times, mainly representing Mainpuri and Azamgarh constituencies. He died on October 10, 2022.
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