Lucknow, Oct 16 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said there were several reasons for honouring Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav with the Padma Vibhushan, an award to a leader accused by the BJP of ordering police firing on Ram temple movement supporters in Ayodhya in 1990.
“Chaliye, dekhte hain, iske kai kaaran the (There are several reasons for this. Let us see),” Singh said in response to a question at a press conference here, which he attended along with Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.
After the question, the Union minister wrapped up the press conference.
The question referred to the BJP’s criticism of Yadav over the police firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya when he was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
In 1990, thousands of kar sevaks, mobilised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and allied organisations, marched towards the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site demanding the construction of a Ram temple, defying curfew and administrative restrictions. Police opened fire during the movement.
The incident led the VHP to brand Yadav “Mullah Mulayam”, accusing him of appeasing Muslims. The BJP has frequently used the issue to target the Samajwadi Party, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also accusing it of practising appeasement politics.
Yadav, who died on October 10, 2022, was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award on April 5, 2023.
(PTI News)
