Akhilesh Yadav did meet Hindu Sants and Sadhus even before 2017 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 12, 2022
A photo collage comparing Akhilesh Yadav’s pictures with Muslim clerics and Hindu seers is being shared through a post claiming that Akhilesh Yadav met Hindu seers only after the Yogi Adityanath government came into power. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo collage proving that Akhilesh Yadav met Hindu seers only after the Yogi Adityanath government came into power in UP.
Fact: Though it is true that these pictures of Akhilesh Yadav with Muslim clerics and Hindu seers were taken before and after the formation of Yogi Adithyanath led BJP government in UP respectively; Akhilesh Yadav did meet Hindu Sants and Sadhus when he was the Chief Minister of UP.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo collage, Akhilesh Yadav’s picture with the Muslim clerics was found in an article published in 2017; Akhilesh Yadav’s picture with the Hindu seers was found in his tweet posted in 2021. The Muslim clerics met Akhilesh Yadav in February 2017 before the state assembly elections in UP to express their support. The Hindu seers were clicked with Akhilesh Yadav as he posted Diwali wishes.
Though it is true that these pictures of Akhilesh Yadav with Muslim clerics and Hindu seers were taken before and after the formation of Yogi government in UP respectively; Akhilesh Yadav did meet Hindu Sants and Sadhus when he was the Chief Minister of UP. In a tweet posted on 29 November 2016 from the official Twitter account of Akhilesh Yadav, it can be seen that he met with Hindu Sants and Sadhus to discuss the ‘mela at Prayag’.
Met with a delegation of Sants and Sadhus to discuss the upcoming mela at Prayag. pic.twitter.com/ZaShB63fgS
In the run-up to the UP state elections, it has been alleged that the Samajwadi Party is being silent on Muslim issues. Polling for the UP State Assembly elections 2022 is going to start from 10 February 2022, as announced by the Election Commission.
To sum it up, Akhilesh Yadav did meet Hindu Sants and Sadhus even before 2017.