‘Hurts Islamic sentiments’: BJP slams Dimple Yadav’s attire at mosque; Akhilesh fires back

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday fired salvos at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for holding a party meet inside a mosque on Parliament Street. The controversy escalated after photographs of the visit surfaced, showing SP leaders, including Dimple Yadav, seated inside the mosque.

BJP Minority Morcha president Jamal Siddiqui accused Akhilesh’s wife, Dimple Yadav, of violating mosque norms during the visit by "not dressing appropriately" in a place of worship.


"I condemn the way Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has conducted a meeting in the pious mosque in front of Parliament. I also condemn the Imam of the mosque, who is also an SP member, Mohibbullah Nadvi, for allowing this to happen, being a religious teacher and a representative of Muslims. The way Dimple Yadav is sitting with her back and head uncovered goes against the code of conduct in a mosque and hurts Islamic sentiments worldwide," Siddiqui said.

"We demand action against them and will also file an FIR... Where are the so-called representatives of Muslims like Asaduddin Owaisi now? Why are they silent? If this is allowed, we will also hold a meeting after prayer on July 25, starting with the National Song and ending with the National Anthem. This shows Akhilesh Yadav believes all Islamic religious places are in his pocket. BJP and the Minority Morcha will protest against this," he added.

Meanwhile, Dimple Yadav refuted the claims and accused the BJP of "misleading" the public.

"There was no meeting going on there. BJP's intention has always been to mislead," Dimple said.

"This government does not want to talk about SIR, nor about the Pahalgam incident or Operation Sindoor—these were very important issues," she added.

Akhilesh also slammed BJP for using religion as a "divisive" tool.

"Faith connects. Any religion or faith that brings people together is valuable, and we support those who work to build trust and unity. BJP has a problem with this. BJP wants people divided, not united. We have faith in all faiths. BJP’s only tool is religion," Akhilesh said.