SP chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the UP govt over the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, saying 'for some, donation comes before the nation.' He questioned how the alleged irregularities went unnoticed despite CM Yogi's frequent Ayodhya visits.
SP chief attacks UP govt over donation case
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, saying that for some, "donation comes before the nation." Taking a dig at the state government, the former Chief Minister also questioned how the alleged irregularities went unnoticed despite Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's frequent visits to Ayodhya. "For those who put donation first, not nation... the Chief Minister, who was setting a world record for visiting Ayodhya, still didn't get this information even after going there. That's why the proverb was made--'darkness under the lamp' (Chirag tale andhera). How many times has he gone, and yet he has no news of this... It is about the accountability of the government," Yadav told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai also attacked the state government over the alleged donation embezzlement case, alleging that those involved had exploited people's religious faith for political and financial gains. Speaking to ANI, Rai said those involved had hurt the sentiments of devotees and questioned the government's handling of the matter. "God will never forgive this gang for hurting people's sentiments and wounding their faith. They have no concern for God or faith; for them, it is merely a means to gain power and a source of wealth. Even after the SIT was constituted, no FIR was lodged; no FIR was filed for two days after the report came out, yet they talk about morality. Wherever they build temples, they grab land and loot money," he told ANI.
Trust members resign, 8 accused in judicial custody
The remarks come after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case, sources said.
Court remands accused till June 29
Meanwhile, a court in Ayodhya on June 26 sent eight accused to judicial custody till June 29 (Monday) in the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case. The accused were produced before the local court after being arrested. KC Verma, Prosecution Officer at the Ayodhya Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court, told reporters that all eight accused had been remanded to judicial custody till Monday and would be produced before the court again on June 29.
"In total, Rs 79,85,493 was recovered from them, except for one accused, Subhash. Nothing was recovered from him, though he was involved in the conspiracy. Different amounts were recovered from the others," he said. Verma said eight accused have been arrested-- Avinash Shukla, Ankalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Rama Shankar (alias Tinnu). (ANI)
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