CM Yogi calls SP 'number-one deceivers' over Ram temple stance
Synopsis
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 13 October 2026 attacked the Samajwadi Party as 'number-one deceivers', invoking the Ramayana's Kalnemi to accuse SP leaders of cynically chanting Ram's name after decades of opposing the Ram temple movement.
Key Takeaways
CM Yogi called Samajwadi Party leaders 'number-one deceivers and liars' in a post on X on 13 October 2026 .
He accused SP of having lobbied against the Shri Ram temple and ordering firing on Ram devotees, while now chanting Ram's name.
He used the Kalnemi metaphor from the Ramayana — a demon who posed as a saint — to characterise SP's current religiosity as fraudulent.
The charge alludes to the 1990 Karsevak shootings in Ayodhya during the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led UP government.
The post included a video, indicating a deliberate communications strategy rather than a spontaneous remark.
The attack deepens the BJP–SP contest over which party represents UP's Hindu voter base ahead of future electoral cycles.
In a sharp political broadside on Monday, 13 October 2026, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath trained his sights on the Samajwadi Party, accusing its leaders of being 'number-one deceivers and liars' — and of cynically invoking Ram's name today after spending years opposing the Ram temple and ordering violence against its devotees.
Posting in Hindi on X, CM Yogi wrote: 'समाजवादी पार्टी के लोग नंबर-1 के धोखेबाज और झूठे हैं।' ('Samajwadi Party's people are number-one deceivers and liars.') He followed that with a pointed historical charge: those who 'lobbied against the Shri Ram temple, opened fire on Ram devotees, are today chanting Ram's name like Kalnemi' — a reference to the demon in the Ramayana who disguised himself as a saint to mislead Lord Hanuman.
The Kalnemi barb and what it signals
The invocation of Kalnemi is a loaded one in Indian political rhetoric. In the Ramayana, Kalnemi is sent by Ravana to pose as a holy man and deceive Hanuman — his name has become a byword for dangerous, sanctimonious fraud. By deploying it, CM Yogi is not merely criticising policy positions; he is framing SP's current displays of religiosity as a strategic performance designed to mislead voters ahead of an electoral cycle.
Ram temple, Karsevaks, and a decades-long fault line
The charge about 'opening fire on Ram devotees' alludes to one of the most contested episodes in modern UP politics — the 1990 Karsevak shootings during the tenure of Mulayam Singh Yadav, when state police opened fire on crowds gathered in Ayodhya, resulting in deaths among Ram temple movement participants. That episode has defined the BJP–SP political rivalry in UP for over three decades, and CM Yogi is invoking it to argue that SP's present-day religious overtures cannot erase its historical record.
The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was consecrated in January 2024 — an event the BJP positioned as the culmination of a decades-long movement. Any opposition party visibly participating in Ram-related ceremonies or rhetoric since then has faced this counter-narrative from the saffron camp: that such positioning is opportunistic and contradicts a documented record of opposition.
UP's political battlefield ahead
CM Yogi's post arrives as Uttar Pradesh's political temperature runs persistently high. The BJP and SP remain the two principal poles of UP politics, and the contest over which party truly represents the cultural and religious aspirations of the state's dominant Hindu voter base is unrelenting. By hitting at SP's credibility on the Ram issue — the single most electorally galvanising symbol in UP — CM Yogi is reinforcing a BJP narrative that has proven potent through multiple electoral cycles.
The post carried a video, suggesting this was a coordinated messaging push rather than an off-the-cuff remark. Whether the SP responds — and how — will shape the next round of this ongoing exchange.
In UP politics, the Ram temple question has never really left the room. CM Yogi just made sure everyone knows it.
Point of View
The BJP moves quickly to foreclose that space by surfacing the 1990 Karsevak shootings. The tactic works because it is historically grounded — it is not an invented charge — and it forces SP onto the defensive about its foundational identity. The Ram Mandir consecration in January 2024 paradoxically intensified this dynamic: with the temple built, any SP gesture toward Ram-related sentiment can be framed as opportunistic. Yogi is signalling that in UP's political calculus, the temple question is not settled history — it is live ammunition.
NationPress
12 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did CM Yogi say about the Samajwadi Party on 13 October 2026?
CM Yogi called SP leaders 'number-one deceivers and liars', accusing them of having opposed the Ram temple and ordered firing on Karsevaks, while now chanting Ram's name like Kalnemi, the deceptive demon from the Ramayana.
What is the Kalnemi reference CM Yogi used against SP?
Kalnemi is a demon in the Ramayana who disguised himself as a holy man to deceive Lord Hanuman. CM Yogi used the comparison to suggest SP leaders are cynically performing religiosity to mislead voters.
What is the 1990 Karsevak shooting that CM Yogi is referring to?
In 1990, during the Ram temple movement, state police in Uttar Pradesh opened fire on Karsevaks gathered in Ayodhya, resulting in deaths. The shooting occurred under the government of Mulayam Singh Yadav, founder of the Samajwadi Party.
Why does CM Yogi keep raising the Ram temple issue against SP?
The Ram temple is the most electorally potent symbol in Uttar Pradesh. By linking SP's past opposition to the temple with its current religious posturing, CM Yogi seeks to undercut any electoral gains SP might make by softening its image on Hindu sentiment.
When was the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya consecrated?
The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was consecrated in January 2024, in an event widely seen as the culmination of a decades-long movement championed by the BJP.
