Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Monday termed the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram temple "very unfortunate" and said the matter was being taken seriously by the state government.
He also attacked the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, saying those who had "fired bullets" at devotees had "no moral right" to speak on the issue. Accusing both parties of appeasement politics, Pathak said they had consistently opposed the construction of the Ram temple and were now politicising the matter.
Speaking to reporters, Pathak said, "The incident in Ayodhya Dham is very unfortunate. But the entire country and every follower of Sanatan knows that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress consistently opposed the Ram temple."
He alleged that the opposition had even questioned whether Lord Ram was born in Ayodhya and claimed they had taken a similar stand before the Supreme Court.
"These are the same people who got bullets fired at unarmed devotees and stained Ayodhya with blood. The Congress and the Samajwadi Party have no moral right to speak on Ayodhya Dham," he said.
They made objectionable remarks about Lord Ram, he said. "Lord Ram will never forgive them," he added.
Referring to a purported video of SP workers, Pathak alleged that they were claiming that "Lord Ram has left Ayodhya", adding that the party had "always conspired to malign Sanatan culture through baseless comments against Lord Ram."
Pathak questioned the utilisation of donations collected for the Babri Masjid and alleged irregularities in Waqf-related matters.
"The Samajwadi Party and the Congress should answer where the donations collected for the Babri Masjid went. Why do they remain silent on alleged scams in Waqf and the source of funding for madrassas?" he asked.
Accusing the opposition alliance of pursuing "Muslim appeasement politics", Pathak said the people of the country would not accept any attempt to "defame Sanatan culture".
"The SP and the Congress have always practised politics of Muslim appeasement and they will have to bear the consequences," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)