‘Sadhu-saint not involved’: CM Yogi on Ram Mandir donation theft case

CM Yogi also accused the SP and the Congress of using the issue to defame UP.

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said no sadhu or saint has been found involved in the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case. CM Yogi said the finding was part of the preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).The BJP leader also accused the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of using the issue to defame Uttar Pradesh and mislead the public.Addressing reporters, Adityanath said the initial SIT report had not found any involvement of religious figures in the alleged theft of offerings made at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.”No involvement of any sadhu-saint was found in the SIT’s initial report in the case related to the alleged embezzlement of offerings (chadhava) at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple,” he said as per news agency PTI.The chief minister alleged that the opposition had raised the issue for political reasons and described its conduct as unconstitutional.”This conduct by the Samajwadi Party and the opposition is both undemocratic and unconstitutional. It is also an insult to the sentiments of ‘Bharat Ratna’ Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar,” he said.Stepping up his attack on the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath accused the party of disrespecting Ayodhya during its time in power. “It was the Samajwadi Party government that committed the sin of staining the lanes of Shri Ayodhya Dham and the sacred flow of the Saryu with blood,” he said.The chief minister also criticised those who, according to him, had questioned the existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna.”Those who have already raised questions about the existence of Lord Shri Ram and Lord Shri Krishna are today talking about faith,” he said.Adityanath further alleged that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress were jointly trying to damage the state’s image.”A nefarious attempt is being made jointly by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to tarnish the perception of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.Speaking in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly during the Monsoon Session, the chief minister accused the opposition of disrupting House proceedings instead of participating in scheduled discussions.”The behaviour of the Samajwadi Party is not just unconstitutional but also shameful. The opposition did not take interest in the agenda, which had already been decided, but took up unnecessary issues in a bid to waste the valuable time of the House. We had assured them that all the issues and proposals would be discussed and the government would provide an answer for all…they are playing with the interest of the 25 crore people of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

The controversy surfaced after the opposition announced that it would raise the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations during the assembly session. Leader of the opposition Mata Prasad Pandey had said, “They will present the budget if they want to, but we will talk about Ram Mandir donations.”The Uttar Pradesh government had informed the Supreme Court on July 27 that it had constituted a fresh Special Investigation Team headed by Inspector General of Police Kiran S to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.So far, eight accused have been arrested, while investigators are continuing to trace the money trail to identify other beneficiaries and assets linked to the alleged fraud.