SP sends legal notice to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over Akhilesh Yadav remarks in Ram Temple donation case

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NEW DELHI: A political row has erupted after the Samajwadi Party (SP) served a legal notice on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, accusing him of defamation for allegedly linking SP president Akhilesh Yadav with one of the accused in the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.

The legal notice was issued by Krishna Kanhaiya Pal, president of the Samajwadi Adhivakta Sabha, who alleged that Dubey had deliberately circulated “defamatory, malicious and false” content against the SP chief through his verified social media account.

According to the notice, Dubey’s posts were intended to “cause hatred towards the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav,” and amounted to defamation and character assassination. The notice further demanded that the BJP MP issue a public apology to both the SP and Akhilesh Yadav within two weeks.

The controversy stems from Dubey’s social media posts regarding Ramshankar alias Tinnu Yadav, one of the eight accused arrested in the alleged embezzlement of donations collected at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Dubey questioned, “Was Tinnu talking to Tipu?”—a reference to Akhilesh Yadav’s nickname.

Dubey also reshared a post by social media user Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian claiming that, according to police investigation and mobile call detail records, Tinnu Yadav had allegedly been in regular contact with Akhilesh Yadav. The post alleged that the two spoke almost daily and that Tinnu had spoken with the SP chief three times a day before his arrest.

The post further claimed that Tinnu Yadav, a tempo driver by profession, had gained the trust of the Ram Temple authorities by posing as a worker of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and was entrusted with collecting and counting devotees’ donations.

It also argued that if the alleged phone records were genuine, investigators should examine the nature and purpose of the communication.
Rejecting the allegations, Akhilesh Yadav on Monday threatened legal action against Dubey and demanded that the BJP MP immediately remove what he described as a “false” social media post.

In a post on X, Akhilesh wrote, “Respecting the dignity of Lord Ram, social decorum, civility and parliamentary traditions, we give the BJP MP 10 minutes to delete this false post. Otherwise, an FIR will be lodged against him immediately.”

Responding to the legal notice, Dubey questioned its validity and mocked the SP chief.
In a post on X, he wrote in Hindi, “Akhilesh ji, lawyers like this are bringing you into disrepute. If you have been defamed, the legal notice would naturally have to come from you. That is what the law says. I was a member of the committee that drafted this law, so I am informed about it.”
He further added, “What state have you got yourself into? Why don’t you take something? At the very least, take a Vicks tablet.”

Meanwhile, former SP MLA from Ayodhya Pawan Pandey also came out in support of Akhilesh Yadav. In a video statement, Pandey said the theft allegations had already been established, the accused had been arrested and jailed, and trustees had been removed from their positions.

He accused the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the VHP of attempting to spread false propaganda by alleging links between Akhilesh Yadav and Tinnu Yadav.

Issuing an open challenge, Pandey said that if there was any evidence of a phone conversation between Akhilesh Yadav and Tinnu Yadav, it should be made public. Otherwise, he demanded that BJP leaders publicly apologise to the SP chief.

“Politics should be based on facts and evidence rather than false allegations,” Pandey said, adding that he would retire from politics if BJP leaders succeeded in proving their claims.