'Shame on them': Sunil Lahri on Ayodhya's 'betrayal' to BJP
Sunil Lahri, renowned for his iconic role as Lakshman in the TV series Ramayan, has angrily voiced his disappointment following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) defeat in the Lok Sabha Elections in Ayodhya. The actor took to Instagram after Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad triumphed over BJP's Lallu Singh for the Faizabad parliamentary seat, which constitutes Ayodhya. Using a scene from Baahubali as an analogy, Lahri criticized Ayodhya citizens for their supposed betrayal of the BJP.
'What do you call that person who even denies God?'
Lahri used a metaphor from Baahubali to express his disappointment, likening the BJP to Baahubali and Ayodhya citizens to Kattappa. In the film, the latter betrays the former. He wrote in Hindi, "We are forgetting that these are the same Ayodhya citizens who doubted Goddess Sita after she returned from exile." "What do you call that person who even denies God? Selfish. History is witness that the citizens of Ayodhya have always betrayed their king. Shame on them."
'You didn't even spare Goddess Sita'
In a subsequent post, Lahri continued his tirade against Ayodhya's citizens. He stated, "We salute your greatness dear citizens of Ayodhya, you are the ones who didn't spare even Goddess Sita." "We are not shocked that you betrayed the man who made sure that Lord Ram came out of that small tent and was installed in a beautiful temple. The entire nation will never see you with respect again." In another video, he said that the results "disappointed" him.
Election results despite recent Ram Mandir construction
Despite the recent construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya under BJP leadership—perceived as a massive advantage to the BJP—the party was unable to secure a local electoral victory. Prasad won with 5,54,289 votes against Singh's 4,99,722, a margin of 54,567 votes. Lahri had earlier attended the consecration of the Ram Temple along with Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, who played Lord Ram and Sita respectively in Ramayan. Govil (BJP), meanwhile, won the Lok Sabha seat from Meerut.
