Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 15 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday distanced himself from controversial statements made by party MLA Indrajeet Saroj regarding the role of Indian deities during historical invasions. Speaking to ANI, Yadav said he had not heard Saroj’s or fellow party leader Ramji Lal Suman’s remarks, but emphasized that such historical debates should be avoided if they don’t offer a constructive outlook.
“I have not heard his statement, nor Ramji Lal Suman’s. But I will say this—no questions related to history should be raised. If historical topics can’t show us a good path or give us positive direction, then history should be allowed to remain history,” said Yadav. He added that Samajwadi leaders should focus on progressive issues and actions instead of delving into the past.
His comments came in response to Indrajeet Saroj’s remarks, where the MLA questioned the effectiveness of Indian gods and goddesses during invasions by figures such as Muhammad Ghori and Muhammad Bin Qasim. “If our gods and goddesses had power, they should have cursed those invaders and turned them to ashes,” Saroj had said, drawing criticism for his comments seen as both provocative and religiously sensitive.
The controversy has grown alongside remarks from SP leader Ramji Lal Suman, who recently called Rana Sanga—a revered Rajput king of the 16th century—a “traitor” for allegedly aligning with Babur to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. The statement triggered protests, including an incident of violence outside Suman’s residence in Agra, where vehicles were vandalized and stones were pelted.
In response to Suman’s remarks, the Karni Sena—a Rajput community organization—held a ‘Rakt Swabhiman Sammelan’ in Agra to commemorate Rana Sanga’s birth anniversary. Revered for his resistance to Mughal invasions, Rana Sanga is viewed by the community as a symbol of bravery and sacrifice.
As tensions rise over historically and religiously sensitive statements, Akhilesh Yadav’s call for restraint aims to realign his party’s narrative toward development and avoid deepening political fault lines based on historical revisionism.
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