BJP 'exploiting' religion for profit: Opposition leader Mata Prasad Pandey

Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey has claimed that pilgrims visiting the Devi Patan Dham here will soon have to cough up a fee and accused the BJP of "profiteering in the name of religion." The Devi Patan Dham here is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths. Pandey, who was in Balrampur on Sunday evening to attend the death anniversary of former minister Shiv Pratap Yadav, said, "Under the guise of religion, the BJP is preparing to snatch people's rights and harass them". "Soon, visitors to the Devi Patan temple will be required to purchase tickets for darshan. A law for this has already been passed," he claimed. Also Read - India, Indonesia call for code of conduct in South China Sea "Ayodhya is being sold off. Land is being taken away from the poor and handed over to large industrialists. Big hotels are being built there, and extortion is taking place in the name of development. In South India, where the BJP has little presence, it is bringing people from there to temples for political and economic gains," he said. "The son of Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Mishra was given a BJP ticket from Shravasti, but the people of Shravasti and Ayodhya rejected the BJP. Today, the BJP is running around in distress, both in Uttar Pradesh and across the country," he said. Also Read - ‘Russia-India relations based on special and privileged strategic partnership’ Responding to BJP's jibes at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's participation in the Kumbh Mela, Pandey said, "Regardless of what the BJP says, Akhilesh Yadav has always been genuinely concerned about the welfare of the poor, backward classes, Dalits, minorities, and the oppressed. His commitment to their upliftment remains unwavering." On the Milkipur assembly bypoll on February 5, Pandey accused the BJP of relying on administrative machinery instead of genuine public support. "The BJP is not contesting the Milkipur election; it is being fought by officials on their behalf. Had the BJP contested it fairly, their position would have been clear. Like the previous bypoll, they are attempting to win using bureaucratic influence. However, this time, the people of Milkipur are firmly standing against them, and BJP is set to face a humiliating defeat." Reiterating his party's support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi assembly elections, Pandey emphasised that INDIA bloc is standing against the BJP with strength. "The Samajwadi Party is supporting the AAP in Delhi because it is the AAP that can defeat the BJP there. The INDIA alliance stands strong against BJP across the country," he said.