Will visit even when mosque comes up: Lone BSP lawmaker on bus to Ayodhya

“This trip to Ayodhya must not be politicised as we all (lawmakers) are going there under the leadership of assembly speaker,” says Uma Shankar Singh

All eyes turned to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Uma Shankar Singh as he joined lawmakers gathered outside the Vidhan Bhawan here to embark on their trip to the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Sunday morning. Singh was the only representative from the BSP in the group.

Uttar Pradesh lawmakers before their trip to Ayodhya began on Sunday (Deepak Gupta)

Media persons, especially from news channels, jostled to hear what the lone BSP MLA had to say.

“This trip to Ayodhya must not be politicised as we all (lawmakers) are going there under the leadership of assembly speaker. Tomorrow, when a mosque comes up (in Dhannipur, Ayodhya) I will go there even then as my party (the BSP) is a secular party,” Singh, who represents Rasara in Ballia, said before boarding the bus for Ayodhya.

On the Supreme Court’s directives, the Uttar Pradesh government has allotted land for a mosque at Dhannipur, which is around 22 km away from where the Babri Masjid was located.

Unlike RLD legislators who took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party members for not joining the lawmakers’ delegation, the BSP MLA refrained from making comments on the issue.

“Several MLAs of the Samajwadi Party had given in writing to the assembly speaker requesting him to take them along (to Ayodhya),” Singh said, and requested media persons not to politicise the trip.

“Arre bhai hum thak gai hai (I am tired now),” said Singh as newsmen lined up to take his bite.

Singh is related to former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, who represented Ballia in the Lok Sabha.