Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, said under previous governments, symbols of faith were not respected and asked why Lord Ram had to "stay in a tent" for years.
Shah said this addressing a rally at Faizabad’s Government Inter College after he offered prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi and Hanuman Garhi temples in Ayodhya.
Later, he addressed another rally in Sant Kabir Nagar and a roadshow in Bareilly.
In Ayodhya, he also alleged that the SP, BSP and Congress governments made efforts to stop the construction of the Ram temple.
Under the SP and BSP rule, "symbols of faith were not respected", he said claiming that PM Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are working for the glory of every faith.
"It is time for the people of Ayodhya, citizens of the country and people of UP to think why Ramlala had to live in a tent for so many years," he said referring to a makeshift temple on the site, which was disputed in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case.
He credited PM Modi with the construction of the Ram temple.
Shah said, "Whenever the SP, BSP and the Congress were in power, they made efforts to stop this."
"I want to tell all those who wanted to stop it, if you can, try and stop it because no one has the power to stop it. A grand temple will come up in a few months at the place where Lord Shri Ram was born." Shah also asked people to seek an answer from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for the firing on "kar sevaks" during his party's government in the past.
"Don't you remember that the 'kar sevaks' were shot," he said referring to a 1990 incident during the SP regime.
"Sticks were used on Ram's sevaks, Ram sevaks were killed and thrown into the mother Saryu," he alleged.
"When Akhileshji comes here, seeking votes in Ayodhya, ask him what was the crime of the 'kar sevaks'? Why did your government open fire on them," he asked.
He also said the SP, BSP, the Congress and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee worked together to oppose the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370.
"Akhilesh Babu, if your second generation also comes, neither Article 370 is going to come
"On August 5, 2019, Modiji uprooted Article 370 in Parliament."
Referring to the raids conducted by the Income Tax Department on the house of a perfume trader in Kanpur, Shah said bundles of notes were seized and the stench of the Samajwadi perfume has spread all over UP.
He said there used to be three "Ps" during the SP government—"pariwarvaad", "pakshpaat" and "palayan"—and today there are three 'Vs' "vikas, "vyapar" and "sanskratik virasat", and Ayodhya is the biggest example of the three Vs.
Attacking the Congress, he said when it was in power at the Centre with the SP-BSP support, terrorists from Pakistan used to take away heads of jawans but when Modi became the PM, air and surgical strikes eliminated terrorists.
At the rally, Shah started his speech amid the chants of "Jai Shri Ram".
He addressed another public meeting in the Khalilabad area of Sant Kabir Nagar district.
Shah said the previous SP government was known only for the rule of "bahubali" (strongmen) but BJP's Yogi government is working for the development of all sections of society.
Yogi Adityanath has worked to free UP from the mafia, he said.
Shah also raised the slogan, "Abki Baar-300 Paar", and called upon people to vote for the BJP in the 2022 elections.
In Bareilly, Shah took part in a roadshow.
He reminded people about the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month.
"From the days of Aurangzeb, devotees who went to have a darshan of Kashi Vishwanath Dham used to feel sad after returning from there. Baba was kept in an humiliated condition for years. But, you have seen that Modiji made the Vishwanath corridor and the Baba's darbar was decorated."
He claimed that his party’s government in UP eliminated corruption and the state is now progressing on the path of development.
Shah was accompanied by Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Arjun Ram Meghwal and UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh.
The roadshow started from the main market of Qutubkhana, then passed through Shyamganj, Kalibari and ended at Patel Chowk, covering a distance of around two-and-half kilometres in about one-and-half hours.
After the roadshow, Amit Shah reached the Circuit House and held discussions with party leaders over the Assembly elections, a party leader said, adding that Shah he will leave Bareilly on Saturday.
