Now Reading: BJP hits SP MP Sanatan Pandey over defending 1990 Ayodhya firing
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BJP hits SP MP Sanatan Pandey over defending 1990 Ayodhya firing
The Story in Brief
The BJP on Monday, 9 November, criticised Samajwadi Party MP Sanatan Pandey for defending the 1990 order by late Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to fire on Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak accused the SP of Muslim appeasement politics and vote-bank tactics. BJP MP Tarun Chugh said the remarks admitted the attack on unarmed people, and party spokesperson Guru Prakash called it anti-Sanatan.
Pandey had told reporters the firing was necessary to protect the Constitution and prevent a civil war. He said Mulayam Singh Yadav did the right thing. BJP MP Ravi Kishan criticised the SP’s ideology, alleging lawlessness during its rule and saying voters will respond in the coming elections.
Indian Opinion Analysis
BJP leaders condemned the remarks, calling them appeasement politics. SP defended the firing as necessary to uphold the Constitution. The coverage differs in what is quoted and what is omitted. The Hans India focused on detailed BJP criticism and the SP MP’s justification, while Economic Times used Ravi Kishan’s attack and a vague reference to future elections. Neither outlet included any SP rebuttal beyond Pandey’s initial statement. The balanced reading is that the BJP attacked the SP on a politically sensitive anniversary, and the SP defended a historical action without conceding any wrongdoing. The next concrete item is the upcoming election in which voters, as Ravi Kishan said, ‘will answer’.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 pro-government
Sources (2): thehansindia.com (pro government), economictimes.indiatimes.com (pro government)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 9 November 2026: this story now draws on 2 sources.
