AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday took a swipe at Yogi Adityanath and said those accused of their involvement in the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations were also conspiring to unseat the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
"I want to tell Yogi ji that Maharaj ji, these 'donation thieves' are plotting to remove you as well. They are also after your chair. Why are you standing with people who have committed such a grave sin? My fight is that these 'donation thieves', these demons, should be publicly hanged. Please support me in this fight," Kejriwal told reporters in Ayodhya, requesting the UP chief minister not to support these "great sinners".
His remarks came shortly after Adityanath, while addressing a public meeting in Deoria, took a swipe at the former Delhi chief minister without naming him.
Notably, Kejriwal is in Ayodhya over the alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement controversy.
"One gentleman from Delhi has also come here these days. I want to tell him that the people of Delhi gave him 15 years to serve but he ruined Delhi and only spread corruption. Look at Ayodhya today and see how the BJP's double-engine government has transformed it in nine years. Then go back and repent," Adityanath said.
The exchange came amid an ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations and valuables offered at the Ram temple.
A special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the UP government is probing the matter, while the Ayodhya Police has registered an FIR and arrested eight people.
Asked about reports that two Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust members had resigned on moral grounds, Kejriwal dismissed the move as inadequate.
"Their morality and resignation are the easiest things to offer. I did not steal even a single rupee, yet I was sent to jail. (AAP leader) Manish Sisodia was also jailed and so were several others. But should those who committed this great dacoity in the house of Lord Ram merely resign?" he said, and added, "They should first be publicly hanged."
Kejriwal asked about the superiors of those arrested.
"And what about those above them? These people were only instruments. The country must know where the money from this entire loot went. How much money was looted and where has it gone?" he added.
Questioning the credibility of the SIT probe, Kejriwal alleged that the investigation itself was under a cloud.
"The entire investigation is under a question mark because those who are trying to protect the real culprits are themselves involved. It is not merely that influential people are being protected -- they are protecting themselves. First, they looted the temple donations and now, through this fake FIR and investigation, they are rubbing salt into people's wounds," he alleged.
Asked whether the FIR and the pace of action in the case were a result of pressure created by him and AAP, Kejriwal said, "I am a very small person. I am a devotee of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. My heart is deeply hurt and I am on a mission. I only pray to God that I succeed in this mission."
(With inputs from PTI)