The Congress on Monday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the alleged irregularities in the handling of donations and offerings made by devotees at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Speaking to reporters in Raipur, Pawan Khera, Chairman (Media and Publicity Department), AICC, claimed that the State Bank of India had recommended the removal of officials posted at the temple's donation counting centre three months ago, and sought to know who were protecting them.
He said the alleged donation theft at the Ram Temple, for which eight people have been arrested so far by the Uttar Pradesh police, was only a glimpse, and more such cases were yet to come.
"Ayodhya ki loot jhanki hai, Kashi-Mathura abhi baaki hai (the alleged loot in Ayodhya was only a glimpse, Kashi and Mathura were yet to come)," he said.
Khera said the UP CM should be asked whether bulldozer action will be taken against the RSS or the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) over the embezzlement of funds at the temple.
"The RSS and PMO were directly looking after the Ram Mandir administration. Ask Adityanath, if there has been wrongdoing there, will bulldozers be sent to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's residence or to PMO? Just ask him this question and he will have no answer," he said.
Khera claimed the State Bank of India (SBI) three months ago recommended the removal of officials posted at the donation counting centre at the shrine.
"SBI had recommended three months ago that those posted at the counting centre be removed. Who has been protecting them? Nagpur or Delhi?" the Congress leader asked.
In reply to a question, he said the United States was "insulting India every day" while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was maintaining silence.
"Modi ji should give us a list of those he is afraid of and those he is not," he quipped.
On the reported move by the new BJP government in West Bengal to bring a bill on Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Khera alleged such issues were being raised to divert people's attention from the Ram Mandir donation theft case.
"The purpose (of UCC bill) is only to change the headlines and divert attention from what is happening in the name of Lord Ram in Ayodhya," he claimed.
Khera was in Raipur to address the last day of a ten-day training camp of the Chhattisgarh Congress organised for district unit presidents in the Abhanpur area.
(With inputs from PTI)
