Ram Temple Trust acted, yet opposition continues 'defamation campaign': Adityanath

Lucknow, Jul 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the opposition of running a campaign to defame Ayodhya and the Ram Janmabhoomi, saying they were not satisfied despite the Ram temple Trust taking action based on the preliminary report from the SIT in the donation theft case. While addressing public gatherings in Pratapgarh and Sultanpur, Adityanath referred to the preliminary findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, emphasising that the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had already initiated actions based on the SIT's initial report. "The preliminary report of the SIT has led to action by the Trust. But for the past month, the Samajwadi Party, Congress and other so-called secular parties have been running a campaign to defame Ayodhya. They are targeting Ayodhya, targeting the Ram Janmabhoomi and attacking the faith of millions. This is a malicious attempt to create a negative atmosphere in the country," he alleged. Adityanath recalled how he had assured that the SIT would establish the truth, and now, based on its preliminary findings, the Trust lodged a complaint and acted against those for whom evidence was found. He added that the Trust had requested the Uttar Pradesh government to conduct an independent investigation after media reports of an alleged incident surfaced. "The Trust had said that if it issued a clarification on its own, people might not believe it, and therefore requested the government to constitute a high-level SIT to uncover the truth," he said. Additionally, Adityanath mentioned that the infrastructure outside the temple complex had been developed by the Uttar Pradesh government, while the construction of the temple was funded through public donations. "The temple complex has been built with contributions from devotees. Therefore, it is appropriate for an independent SIT to investigate the matter. We promptly constituted the SIT," Adityanath stated. He criticised the opposition parties for changing their stance after the government acted on their initial demand for an SIT. "Before the SIT was constituted, the Samajwadi Party, Congress, and other secular parties kept demanding it. Once we established it, they began raising a different set of demands," he said. "The Trust is managing the temple autonomously, and today we can all see the grand temple of Lord Ram has taken shape," the chief minister said. PTI ABN MPL MPL