What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday tore into the Central government over the alleged mismanagement of Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya Ram temple donation worth Rs 30 crore and demanded a Supreme Court monitored probe.
Addressing a press conference here, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Ram temple trust bought land for the temple. And as all of you know that all countrymen donated for the temple and there was also a campaign to collect donations from households.”
“Now the belief of people is being hurt,” she said, adding that land of Dalits which could not be bought was grabbed. Even the price was overvalued to buy the land, which proves that the donation for construction collected for the temple was misused.
She said that a piece of land was bought for Rs 2 crore in 2017 and he then sold around 10,000 square meter for Rs 8 crore to the Ram temple trust.
“On March 18, 2021, the other part of the same land measuring 12,080 square meter was bought by a man named Ravi Mohan Tiwari for Rs 2 crore after 19 minutes. The sale deed of the Ravi Mohan Tiwari had Anil Mishra, an RSS member and also a trustee of the Ram temple as a witness and Rishikesh Upadhyay who is Mayor of Ayodhya also as a witness.”
“And then 5 minutes later, Ravi Mohan Tiwari sells the same patch of land to Ram temple trust for Rs 18.5 crore. If this is not a scam or embezzlement of donation then what is it,” she questioned.
She said that the Uttar Pradesh government has said that it has ordered a probe and who is probing it. The officials equivalent to the post of a district Magistrate.
She further said that Ram temple trust was formed on the directions of the Supreme Court
“So this probe should be carried by the Supreme Court because an official of the DM rank cannot do the probe,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi further said that there is a loot of land around the Ram temple.
She alleged that the BJP leaders and officials of the state government are hand in glove in that.
“Lord Ram has been known for following the path of truth and he sacrificed a lot during his lifetime. And now you are doing corruption in his name and hurting the belief of people of the country, she said.
When asked about other political parties maintaining silence on the issue, Priyanka Gandhi said that she has no clue why BSP chief Mayawati is silent on the issue.
“(Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav woke up a few months before elections. We have been fighting for the people of Uttar Pradesh,” she said.
The Congress leader also said that it is the moral responsibility of not just Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath but also of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Money donated by people out of their savings is being misused,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
“If there is corruption on donations and it’s going in your pocket whose mistake is this. Adding this as the Prime Minister has been mentioning ram temple in his speeches,” She added.
To a question about MoS Home Ajay Mishr Teni still not being removed from his post and now Mayor as a witness in the land sale deeds, she said, “Lakhimpur or Ram temple, it proves the mentality of the government. We all know what happened in Lakhimpur and that his father has not been suspended.”
“This issue is similar, Mayor’s sign, RSS sarsanghchalak signature is there,” she added.
She alleged that democracy is being murdered. Government does not want debate because people will see.
