Ayodhya, Jan. 5 -- Day after defence minister Rajnath Singh criticised the then Samajwadi Party government over the 2005 terrorist attack on the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya, party leaders have come out in defence of former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Samajwadi Party state vice president Jai Shankar Pandey said Yadav, who was chief minister at the time, ordered the elimination of the terrorists who attacked the temple. "Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister then, and he instructed the security forces to gun down the terrorists at any cost. Within a few hours of the attack, all five terrorists were killed without any harm to the security forces," Pandey stated. He added that the then convenor of the BJP-led NDA, George Fernandes, who visited Ayodhya after the attack, praised Yadav for his strict and immediate action. "His decision saved the temple and also prevented communal violence that could have erupted had the terrorists succeeded in their aim," Pandey said. Pandey further noted that the then Union home minister Shivraj Patil also commended Yadav for his prompt action against the terrorists. The terrorist attack took place on July 5, 2005, when armed militants attempted to storm the makeshift shrine. Security forces killed all five attackers within hours, preventing damage to the temple. During the second anniversary of the consecration ceremony at Ram temple on December 31, 2025, Rajnath Singh referred to the 2005 incident and criticised the then Samajwadi Party government led by Mulayam Singh Yadav....