NEW DELHI, June 14:
A war of words erupted between the BJP and the opposition parties today over allegations of corruption in the purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust, with the Congress demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe and the saffron party terming it as an attempt to “defame” and “derail” the temple construction.
Latching onto the issue to target the BJP and the RSS, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that it was a “big scam” committed using funds collected from devotees and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer the nation.
“How could BJP leaders commit such a big malpractice in the name of Lord Ram,” Surjewala asked, and demanded that the apex court direct an audit of all the donations and funds received and spent by the trust and make it public in the traditions of idealism of Lord Ram.
After AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and former UP Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey claimed on Sunday that land worth Rs 2 crore was brought at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore by Shriram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, its general secretary Champat Rai dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and aimed at spreading disinformation.
Rai asserted that there was complete transparency in the land transactions, but the opposition parties were unconvinced.
“The BJP is betraying the people. Misusing the money collected for Ram temple is a severe blow to the sentiments and the faith of the people,” the Congress alleged on its Twitter handle.
The Chief Justice and the Supreme Court must take cognisance of the matter and order a court-monitored probe into the charges, Surjewala said.
“Shri Ram himself is justice, truth, faith. Betrayal in his name is unrighteous,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
