Akhilesh Yadav attacks BJP over Ayodhya visit

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav stated during a press conference in Lucknow on Wednesday, 11 November, 2026, that God belongs to everyone, and therefore he will visit Ayodhya. Responding to allegations by the BJP that his upcoming visit is motivated by political motives, he said, if God belongs to everyone, why should we not visit these places? He further added that he will also visit Kateshwar, Mathura, and Vrindavan, and that he has been visiting these places even before and will continue to do so in the future. He raised questions against those who have looted and destroyed the livelihood of common people.

Akhilesh Yadav has planned to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya with his family on the upcoming 12 December. BJP leaders had sparked controversy by calling this visit politically motivated. During the press conference, Yadav claimed that the voters of Uttar Pradesh are determined to bring his party back to power. He said that farmers, youth, labourers, and traders want change and that people have decided to form a Samajwadi Party government in 2027. Predicting the end of the BJP, he said the people of the state are ready and that injustice, tyranny, inflation, and unemployment are at their peak under the BJP government. He accused the Chief Minister of being unaware of the employment and unemployment rates.

In reference to the voter list, Akhilesh Yadav demanded that the voter list should be linked with Aadhaar cards. He suggested that these cards should be made of metal so that fake cards cannot be made. He questioned why, if every person's Aadhaar card is biometric, the voter list is not being linked with Aadhaar cards? Why is this linkage not being done when there are discussions about Digital India and becoming equal to the world? He called upon party workers to win booths and remain vigilant. Accusing the BJP of winning elections through fraud, he said the BJP wanted to commit dishonesty through the SIR process, but Samajwadi Party workers and PDA guards have saved their votes.

Yadav further stated that the BJP is scared of the PDA (alliance of minorities, Dalits, and backward class voters). He said that the fight is no longer 80 against 20, but 95 against 5. In the upcoming assembly elections, the BJP will not be seen on the ground and the Chief Minister's language and behaviour have changed upon seeing the BJP's defeat.

During the press conference, he also celebrated the birthday of a 10-year-old boy named Khajanchi, born during the 2016 demonetisation. Yadav termed demonetisation as the most corrupt decision in the history of the world. He said that the Samajwadi Party celebrates Khajanchi's birthday every year and the BJP should adopt this practice. Calling demonetisation ten years of BJP's failure, he said demonetisation has proved to be an ocean of corruption for the BJP government and there has been a 70% increase in cash circulation. He claimed that no other wrong decision of such magnitude has been taken in the world and none of the superficial goals of demonetisation were achieved.