Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey has targeted the BJP and the Yogi government over the politics of Ayodhya before the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. In an interview, he attributed the BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya to the alleged injustice meted out to farmers and traders during development works. They allege that in the name of land acquisition and compensation in Ayodhya, poor farmers suffered, while big property dealers were benefited.
Pawan Pandey said that the BJP did politics across the country in the name of Ram temple and Ayodhya, but in the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Ayodhya rejected the party. He questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to face defeat in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat despite coming to Ayodhya several times, offering prayers there.
Accused of cheating farmers in the name of land
Pawan Pandey gave an example of the purchase and sale of land in Ayodhya. They allege that the first notice of land acquisition was given to the farmers of the village by the Housing Development and Development Authority. The farmers were told that their land could be taken away by the government and in return they would get around Rs 4 lakh per biswa.
According to Pawan Pandey, after this notice, big property dealers from Mumbai and Gujarat contacted the farmers through their people in the village. He said that the farmers will be given a little more than the government compensation, i.e. Rs 5 lakh per biswa. The farmers sold their land in the hope of getting more money.
He alleged that the acquisition notice expired after the property dealers bought the land. The lands, which were bought at around Rs 5 lakh per biswa, were later sold for up to Rs 1.80 crore per biswa. Pawan Pandey described it as the result of an alleged nexus between farmers, officials and BJP leaders.
Questions also raised on compensation for airport and Rampath
Pawan Pandey also raised the issue of farmers giving land for the construction of Ayodhya airport. He said that the land of farmers of Ganja, Kutia and Dharampur villages was taken for the airport. According to him, the owners of the lands which were valued at Rs 2 to 2.5 crore received compensation ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
He also questioned the compensation received by shopkeepers and landlords during the construction of Rampath. Pawan Pandey alleges that the houses and shops of many traders were destroyed, but they were given compensation of only one or two lakh rupees. He claimed that the officials also took commission in the distribution of compensation, adding that many traders suffered so much loss that they could not bear it.
Allegations levelled against administration in Milkipur and MLC elections
In the interview, Pawan Pandey also mentioned the Milkipur by-election. He said that the election was not fought by the public, but by the DM, SP and other administrative officers. He claims that if there was a fair election, the Samajwadi Party would have won.
Citing the example of the Gorakhpur MLC polls, he alleged that even there the authorities had put in all their efforts to defeat the Samajwadi Party and its supporters. Referring to the two MLC seats in Banaras, he said that the attitude of the administration was different in different places. He also linked it to the alleged political tussle between Delhi and Lucknow.
Akhilesh Yadav credits Lucknow for development
Pawan Pandey also questioned the Yogi government about the development work in Lucknow. He said that Lucknow Metro was started during the government of Akhilesh Yadav. According to him, the foundation stone and inauguration of the metro was also done by Akhilesh Yadav. Referring to 1090, police headquarters, stadiums and other projects, he said that they were built during the Samajwadi Party government.
He, however, said that every government works within its own time. But instead of giving credit for the development of Ayodhya, there should be an inquiry into alleged corruption related to land and compensation.
What was the election result in Faizabad?
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are also there to understand the political background of Pawan Pandey’s allegations. In Faizabad, Awadhesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Party defeated BJP’s Lallu Singh by a margin of 54,567 votes. Awadhesh Prasad got 5,54,289 votes, while Lallu Singh got 4,99,722 votes.
