Opposition faking faith, BJP built Ayodhya as Sanatan's cultural capital: Adityanath

Lucknow, Jul 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the opposition parties of "faking faith" and the Samajwadi Party in particular of allowing namaz at the Hanumangarhi Temple, as he sought to deflect criticism over the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft row. This is the second time since his July 10 Ayodhya visit that Adityanath touched on the more than two-decade-old issue. "Those who used to facilitate namaz at Hanumangarhi are now commenting on Ayodhya and matters of faith. Questions are being raised today by such people concerning a sacred site like Hanumangarhi," Adityanath said at an event organised by Republic Bharat news channel in Lucknow. BJP leader Brijlal, who in 2003 served as Inspector General of Police (law and order) and later went on to become the DGP, conceded that the plan was to hold namaz during Ramzan on the steps of Hanumangarhi Temple in November of that year. "Yes, it is correct. Back in the day, aided by the then IG zone, there was indeed a plan to hold namaz on the steps of Hanumangarhi temple," Brijlal told PTI. However, he said, the venue was changed after the intervention of then SSP Faizabad, and the namaz and iftaar were held at Hanumangarhi Mahant Gyan Das's residence, adjacent to the temple. IG (zone) VN Rai, under whose jurisdiction Faizabad (now Ayodhya) came, gave a different version of what transpired back then. "I just want to know if I was behind it all and if namaz wasn't held still due to the then SSP's intervention, it means the then SSP disobeyed orders of his superior. Is it possible?" Rai asked, dismissing Brijlal's claim. Claims and counterclaims notwithstanding, Adityanath sought to call out the SP over the matter. "Those who are faking faith committed this sin (namaz on Hanumangarhi temple steps), whereas the BJP established Ayodhya as the cultural capital of Sanatan Dharma," he said. "Talking about faith and theft in Ram Temple Ayodhya are those who had committed dacoity on the rights of the poor," he added. Although the chief minister admitted that theft of donations was "unfortunate", he questioned the credentials of those criticising his government over it. "Whatever happened was unfortunate. An SIT is investigating the matter... Resignations have been tendered on moral grounds. Yet questions are being raised," he said. On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a report in the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohna also issued a notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on pleas seeking a time-bound probe into the theft. Narendra Kumar Goswami, one of the three petitioners, moved the top court seeking a CBI probe into the matter. He also sought a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the finances of the trust, which manages the affairs of the Ram Temple. Meanwhile, in his speech, Adityanath spoke about "transformational changes" that have come around in the state since he came to power in 2017. "Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the firm resolve of the double engine government, Uttar Pradesh today has emerged from the category of a 'BIMARU' state and become one of the country's top three economies," he said. Before 2017, a riot took place every third day in UP, and curfews continued for months, he said. "At that time, whenever a bomb blast occurred anywhere in the country, Uttar Pradesh's name would be linked to it," he said. Adityanath claimed that under previous governments, rioters were invited to the chief minister's residence and honoured; governments bowed before mafia. "But over the past nine years, our identity has become that of a riot-free, curfew-free and disturbance-free Uttar Pradesh. Today, every person in Uttar Pradesh, including daughters and traders, is safe," he said. The chief minister said a fillip in investments in the state bears out the turnaround he claimed. "We planned the Investors Summit in October 2017 and formulated policies for it. As a result, Uttar Pradesh has received investment proposals worth Rs 50 lakh crore, out of which projects worth more than Rs 15 lakh crore have already been implemented on the ground," he said. PTI NAV MAN VN VN