Lucknow, Nov. 8 -- Amid news of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's proposed visit to the Ayodhya Ram temple on December 12, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday sought an apology to Ram Bhakts for the firing on karsevaks before the visit. He was referring to the firing on karsevaks on October 30 and November 2, 1990, when Akhilesh's father, Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Without naming Akhilesh Yadav, Adityanath said, "Tender an apology to Ram Bhakts first for firing on karsevaks before coming to Ayodhya." The chief minister was addressing seers at Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya at the 10th edition of Deepotsav. The SP has in the past maintained that the then government had to act to maintain law and order. "Those who got bullets fired on karsevaks, who shed the blood of Ram Bhakts on the streets of Ayodhya, are coming here to seek blessings. First, they should apologise to the karsevaks, to the seers, and to the people of Ayodhya," the chief minister said. Adityanath also said Ayodhya does not belong to any one party or family. "Ayodhya is the land of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram. Those who insulted the sentiments of crores of Ram Bhakts cannot wash away their sins merely by visiting the temple," he said. The chief minister said the same forces that had opposed the Ram temple movement were now trying to take political mileage from the Ram temple. "Earlier, they used to say Ram did not exist. Today they are coming to Ayodhya. This is the victory of the faith of the people," he said. He said there was a time when people were subjected to lathi-charge and gunfire for invoking Lord Ram's name. "The very city where chanting Ram's name was prohibited, which had been left neglected and forsaken, is today attracting the attention of the entire world with its ancient glory restored. Ayodhya today is bringing alive the memories of the Treta Yuga," he said. He also warned that those who play with the sentiments of Sanatan Dharma will not be forgiven by the people. "The people of Uttar Pradesh have seen who stood with Ram and who stood against Ram," he added. The seers present on the occasion welcomed the chief minister's remarks with chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'. The chief minister said Ayodhya had endured a 500-year struggle to reclaim its glory. "Karsevaks made the supreme sacrifice, seers led the movement, and under the leadership of Ashok Singhal ji, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement advanced. "Those who had assembled armies of lawyers in courts to question the very existence of Lord Ram have today developed the wisdom to acknowledge His existence. This is our ideological victory," Yogi said. In a pointed remark, he warned against those who try to reduce Ram Katha to the level of a mushaira. "Our religious discourses have their own decorum and sacred traditions. Some people, driven by unruly tendencies, attempt to disregard the dignity of Lord Ram and the sanctity of the Katha, seeking to turn it into a mushaira and thereby defile its traditional character," he said. "Those who once stained the streets of Ayodhya with blood are today unable to restrain their own greed," he added. Assuring Ram devotees, Yogi said Ayodhya would never again come under curfew. "No one would dare to indulge in riots or disturb communal harmony. No one would be able to neglect Ayodhya, insult its seers or dare to open fire on Ram devotees," he declared. SP national spokesperson Abbas Haider stated, "The chief minister should stop preaching about apologies and introspect instead. During the Akhilesh Yadav government, Ayodhya witnessed concrete development, including the construction of a Bhajan Centre, beautification of the Saryu ghats and initiatives to promote religious tourism. We developed Ayodhya without dividing people in the name of religion....