'Must be excavated': Akhilesh Yadav claims 'shivling' under UP CM's house

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday (December 29, 2024) claimed there is a ‘Shivling’ beneath Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s official residence in Lucknow and called for its excavation.

“There is a Shivling under the Chief Minister’s residence in Lucknow. It should also be excavated,” Mr. Yadav told reporters in Lucknow.

The statement, seen as a dig at Mr. Adityanath, came amid a rising political face-off over recent surveys sought in Uttar Pradesh, mostly around temples and mosques. Last week, a 250-ft-deep stepwell, dating back to the era of the 1857 revolt, was unearthed during a survey in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. The stepwell was found after two bulldozers were involved in excavation at the site in the Laxman Ganj area of the town.