Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has triggered a political controversy by claiming that there is a ‘Shivling’ beneath the official residence of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in Lucknow and demanded its excavation.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav said, “There is a Shivling under the Chief Minister’s residence in Lucknow. It should also be excavated.” The remark has come amid increasing political tensions over the recent archaeological surveys carried out in the state.
Just last week, a major archaeological discovery—a 250-foot-deep stepwell dating back to the era of the 1857 revolt—was found during a survey in Sambhal. The discovery, which was made by the toiling of two bulldozers, is located in the Laxman Ganj area. This discovery came close on the heels of reports about the ruins of an ancient Banke Bihari temple found in the same area.
Yadav has all along accused the BJP of using such archaeology-related discoveries to deflect the attention of the people away from core issues like unemployment and agrarian crisis. “Digging everywhere will not give solutions. There is a Places of Worship Act in our country that prohibits such actions,” he said, referring to the legislation meant to uphold the religious character of places of worship in India.
Criticizing BJP’s governance, Yadav further said, “They have been in power in Delhi for a decade and seven years in Uttar Pradesh, and unemployment has reached unprecedented levels.” The debate is part of the larger concern over where the government is focusing at a time when socio-economic challenges are so high.
