‘Oppn Is Trying To Malign Temple Setup’Lucknow: In Ayodhya to mark the birthday of the chairperson of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Sthal, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that anyone found involved in alleged irregularities related to the collection of donation at the Ram temple will not be spared and that the SIT would clear the matter soon.The CM, who spoke on the ongoing SIT probe in the alleged scam for the first time, hit out against the Opposition for trying to malign the Ram temple. He accused Samajwadi Party and Congress of first opposing the construction of the temple and now spreading misinformation about it to insult the city, which is sacred to Hindus.“Those who denied the existence of Shri Ram and ordered lathicharge and firing on Ram Bhakts are now preaching to others. They are making a malicious attempt to insult Ayodhya. Akhilesh Yadav has not yet visited the temple and had also prevented his MLAs from visiting Ayodhya. When Manoj Pandey, then an SP MLA and now a minister in the state govt, proposed that all MLAs should visit Ayodhya for darshan, Akhilesh Yadav rejected it and said that no one should go,” the CM said, alleging that the Opposition was not devoted to Ram but to (Mughal ruler) Babur.Congress too, he said, made every effort to prevent the construction of the Ram temple, including an affidavit it submitted in the Supreme Court stating that Lord Ram had never existed but was now agitating over the same temple.Saying that govt took cognisance of newspaper reports on the alleged scam and constituted an SIT, “on the request of the Trust” to investigate the claim, the CM appealed to people to not speculate on the matter and wait for the SIT report. He asked people with any documentary evidence to submit it to the SIT, and until then, not make any statements that would hurt the sentiments of Ram Bhakts.“Lord Ram taught the values of dignity and restraint, and therefore everyone should maintain decorum. Our ancestors struggled for the temple for 500 years while maintaining dignity, and we should wait another 15 days for the SIT verdict. If anyone is guilty, it is certain that no matter who they are, they will not be spared,” the CM said.During his visit, the CM also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 126 development projects worth more than Rs 378 crore, including a Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital in the Rudauli Assembly constituency.Drawing a parallel between SP and BJP, Yogi said that before 2017, no work was done for the public because the party in power lacked sensitivity and political will. Only their families mattered to them.Earlier in the day, the CM visited Kamakhya Dham where he unveiled the equestrian statue of Veerangana Jhalkari Bai. “Veerangana Jhalkari Bai forced the British to retreat during the First War of Independence in 1857. Respect for national heroes and brave warriors inspires patriotism. BJP’s double-engine govt has launched several initiatives in the names of Maharani Laxmibai, Durgavati, Avanti Bai Lodhi, Jhalkari Bai and Uda Devi,” he said.The CM added that three PAC battalions have been established in the names of Avanti Bai Lodhi, Jhalkari Bai and Uda Devi respectively in which only women will be recruited.Elaborating on the Panch Pran given by PM Narendra Modi, the CM said that UP, which was once called a BIMARU state where there were no jobs, farmers were distressed, and people were unsafe, was now moving on a path of development.“UP is no longer a BIMARU state. It has emerged as a growth engine and a breakthrough force in India’s economy. The progress achieved over the last nine years is the result of collective efforts by all stakeholders,” the CM said.
