Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 1 : Former minister and Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma on Wednesday claimed that the damaged idols installed on the premises of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain were not made of sturdy materials.
Verma said, "The BJP planned to develop Mahakal Lok at a cost of only Rs 97 crore while our plan was to build it at a cost Rs 300 crore. I have proof that the idols (dotting the premises of Mahakal Lok) were made of weak materials. Chinese materials were used in the installation of the idols. The damage to these idols is an indication that the BJP is likely to meet the same electoral fate in the state."
"The condition of religious places like the Mahakal Lok has stirred our souls. The BJP government has reached the pinnacle of corruption, especially if one considers the sorry state of the Mahakal Lok. The idols of Sapta Rishi have been made with materials of questionable quality. We saw the broken idols there. The necks of some idols lay broken while the hands of some others fell off. Sanatan Dharma doesn't give you (BJP) the licence to indulge in corruption in the development and upkeep of religious places," he added.
He added, "I am aware that the Ujjain collector and (Urban Welfare and Housing minister) Bhupendra Singh said they would have the broken idols repaired and installed again. Sanatam Dharma says broken idols cannot be installed again in a religious place. The BJP is insulting Sanatan Dharma."
Responding to the Congress leader's claims, Bhupendra Singh said, "The largest investigative body of the Government of India, CIPET (Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology) has given its approval (to the Mahakal Lok project). There were no irregularities in the making of the idols."
The minister added, "They (Congress) are resorting to cheap politics. The technical approval to the project was given by the Congress party itself. And if the construction and installation work was shoddy, why did the Congress pay for it during its tenure?"
New idols of Saptarishi will be installed in place of the broken ones on the premises of the Mahakal Lok, he added.
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