After Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government is indulging in corruption in the name of Lord Ram, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Manifesto Committee Vice President Brij Lal said that she does not have any right to speak on the issue.
Speaking to ANI, Brij Lal said, "Priyanka Gandhi has no right to speak on this issue because her own husband has been found guilty in irregular land purchases in Haryana and Rajasthan. He bought land worth crores in these states. She did not speak anything on it."
"There is no scam in Ram Mandir Trust. The officials already know about the cheaper lands before purchasing land for any project like in the case of Yamuna Expressway. When it was built, the government purchased the land at a cheaper price, but later its value was increased a lot," the BJP MP said.
Citing an example of Agra Expressway, Brij Lal said, "During Akhilesh Yadav led government in Uttar Pradesh, a lot of scams were done. The land which has been decided for the expressway was changed later."
He further gave clarifications that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has no role in the purchase of land for Ram Mandir and said that Priyanka Gandhi and her party have no right to speak on this issue.
"If anything will be found against the government in this issue, it will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly. There is no role of Uttar Pradesh government and Ram Mandir Trust in this issue," he added.
Addressing a media briefing at the AICC headquarters on Thursday along with Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, Gandhi said, "Almost every household in the country has donated something to Ram Mandir Trust. A door-to-door campaign was held too. It is a matter of devotion that is being played with. The pieces of land of Dalits, which could not be purchased, were grabbed."
She said land of Dalits not allowed to be sold were brought by some officers irregularly.
The Congress leader demanded a Supreme Court-led probe into the alleged land scam.
She further alleged that the big leaders, office bearers of BJP, RSS and trustees were involved in buying and selling lands to earn profits.
"There is loot over the land near the Ram Temple. The BJP leaders and officers of the Yogi Adityanath government are involved in this loot. The BJP government is doing corruption in the name of Lord Ram. It is an attack on the nation's beliefs. The money from the Ram Mandir Trust is being misused to benefit government officials and the members of the BJP and RSS," Gandhi alleged.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's sensational allegations come against the backdrop of the news report that claimed many BJP leaders and some officials of the Uttar Pradesh government have purchased land near the under-construction Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya at throwaway prices.
"Within five minutes value of the piece of land sold to the trust increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 18.5 crore. It means the BJP person made a profit of Rs 16.5 crore within 5 minutes. This is happening repeatedly in other transactions," the Congress leader said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry into reports that relatives of several state ministers and government officials allegedly made land deals in Ayodhya. The UP government has sought a report within a week and the matter will be investigated by Special Secretary Revenue.
( With inputs from ANI )
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