LUCKNOW As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues its probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav upped the ante against the Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue, calling it a ‘mahapaap (great sin)’ and demanded complete restructuring of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
He demanded that the call detail records of all those employed in the temple in Ayodhya be examined and claimed that 99.9% of them would have links with the BJP. Yadav also sought the temple trust treasurer’s resignation over the alleged scandal and accused authorities of targeting the opposition while ignoring his party’s complaints.
After meeting spiritual leader Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati at the latter’s programme in Lucknow, Yadav posted on his X account: “This morning, I had the blessed opportunity to seek audience and blessings of the revered Shankaracharya, alongside a meaningful dialogue on resolving the crisis facing Sanatan Dharma and liberating the faith from the clutches of the unrighteous.”
The Kannauj MP was dismissive of the government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter, describing it as a “whitewash” and questioned its credibility.
“What is this SIT? It’s just a whitewash (’lipa-poti;). Who formed this SIT? I’ve heard that one of its members is himself facing charges of fraud (Section 420). How can such a person investigate? This is a larger issue involving high-ranking BJP leaders,” he added.
The SP president alleged that the BJP’s ideology changes for votes and that ‘Dhan’ (money), and not ‘Dharm’ (religion), is their priority.
“When so many questions have been raised against the Temple Trust, it needs to be completely restructured. A new CEO should be appointed. It’s not about one person; the entire structure needs to change. This has become a ‘Delhi vs. Lucknow’ fight. If the central agencies (ED, CBI, Income Tax) were truly independent, they would have investigated the walls and bundles of cash emerging from people’s homes instead of targeting our workers,” he alleged.
On the issue of Ethanol mixing in petrol, Yadav alleged that this was a new kind of “maha corruption” perpetrated by the BJP. He further stated that the BJP government should not start the tradition of attacking opposition parties, because tomorrow they will also be in the opposition.
