BY PC Bureau
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has stirred fresh controversy, claiming that a ‘Shivling’ lies beneath Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s official residence in Lucknow and demanding that the site be excavated. Addressing the media in Lucknow on Sunday, Yadav stated, “There is a Shivling under the Chief Minister’s residence in Lucknow. It should also be excavated.”
His comments come amid ongoing archaeological activity in Uttar Pradesh that has unearthed significant historical structures. Last week, a 250-foot-deep stepwell, believed to date back to the 1857 revolt, was discovered in the Laxman Ganj area of Sambhal during a survey. Shortly before, ruins of an ancient Banke Bihari temple were also reportedly found in the same region.
Yadav criticized the BJP, accusing it of using such discoveries as a political distraction from critical issues like unemployment and the agrarian crisis. “Digging everywhere will not lead to solutions,” he remarked, referencing the Places of Worship Act, a law designed to preserve the religious character of places of worship as they were on August 15, 1947.
The Samajwadi Party chief also took aim at the BJP’s governance, stating, “They have been in power in Delhi for 10 years and in Uttar Pradesh for seven years, yet unemployment has reached record levels.”
Yadav’s remarks have heightened political tensions in the state, with debates over the purpose and implications of archaeological surveys expected to continue.
