UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slams SP and Congress, says those who opposed Lord Ram now invoke his name
AYODHYA/NEW DELHI, June 30: The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP-RSS machinery of protecting those involved in the alleged embezzlement in Ram Temple donations and demanded that the SIT report be made public.
The Congress also termed the “theft” in the donations as an attack on the faith of 100 crore Hindus and asked Modi to own responsibility the same way he grabbed credit for the temple construction.
The opposition party said Lord Ram will punish those accused of embezzlement in Ram temple funds and for their ‘sins’ while the people of the country will hold the BJP accountable.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the only dream of Modi and his companions is “chanting the name of Ram, while making others’ wealth their own”.
“The entire country is anguished by the loot of donations in the Shri Ram Temple. Due to pressure from the citizens, an FIR was filed after the SIT report, but even after so many days, the main accused – due to their connections with RSS-BJP – are roaming freely in the open,” he said.
He termed as utterly condemnable, putting Congress leaders en route to pay obeisance at Lord Shri Ram Temple under house arrest in a dictatorial manner.
Congress leader Ajay Rai has claimed he was being put under house arrest.
“The citizens demand immediate strict action against the guilty in this matter, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the entire BJP-RSS machinery are engaged in protecting the thieves involved in this donation theft scandal and suppressing the case.
“Prime Minister ji, those who are protecting the guilty in this loot from the Shri Ram Temple are equally culpable. For this vile act, Lord Shri Ram will surely punish you, and the people of the country will also hold you accountable,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate described the theft of sacred donations in the Ram Temple at Ayodhya as a ‘cardinal sin’ (maha paap), claiming that never before in the history had the faith of Hindus been attacked like this.
“This isn’t just some donation theft or scam, this is a cardinal sin, an attack on the faith of Hindus all over the world,” she said.
YOGI HITS BACK
Targeting opposition parties for their stance on the Ram temple embezzlement issue, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said those who attacked Ram devotees and questioned the existence of the god were now speaking up in the name of faith.
Accusing the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of being hypocrites for their “newfound” support for Lord Ram, the chief minister said those who once opposed the Ram temple movement were now claiming to champion the cause.
“Who is advocating devotion to Lord Ram today? The very people who before 2017 ordered lathi-charges on those raising the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’. When Ram devotees proclaimed ‘Ram Lalla Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge’, they were met with bullets. Today, the same people are speaking in the name of faith,” he said.
The attack, during his address after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 102 development projects worth over Rs 690 crore in Rampur, came in the wake of opposition parties slamming the BJP over the embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and alleging that it had betrayed Lord Ram.
According to Adityanath, it was the strength of people’s faith and electoral support that had forced opposition parties to change their stand on the Ram temple.
“They must now be regretting their past actions. The Samajwadi Party was on the wrong path. The Congress had even questioned the very existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna before 2017, but today it says Lord Ram belongs to everyone. Now they are all eager to visit Ayodhya,” he said.
A Congress delegation was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday. However, its state party chief Ajay Rai alleged that he was placed under house arrest in the town.
There was no immediate confirmation from Ayodhya Police on whether Rai had been formally arrested.
The Congress team led by Rai was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the shrine.
Its members included MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathor (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj) and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki).
Rai said he was moved from a hotel to the government guesthouse at the university around midnight by the police. (PTI)
