Action being taken against accused, defaming entire Trust unjustified: CM

Lucknow: Defending the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust amid the Ram temple donation theft controversy, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) found evidence against only eight individuals out of nearly 150 people involved in counting offerings and that it was unfair to defame the entire trust or Ayodhya for the actions of a “handful” of accused.Addressing a public gathering in Chitrakoot after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 950 crore, Adityanath said the opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party were attempting to exploit the issue to malign Ayodhya and undermine the legacy of Lord Ram.“You must have heard recent reports. Congress and the Samajwadi Party suddenly became active. These are parties that have historically criticised Ayodhya and they found an issue to exploit,” the chief minister said.He stressed that the state government ordered the SIT probe at the recommendation of the temple trust itself after it received information about alleged irregularities during the counting of donations.“The trust informed the government that it had received inputs about theft during the counting process and requested the constitution of a high-level SIT. We accepted its recommendation and constituted the SIT,” he said.

Yogi said that the probe found direct evidence against six individuals involved in theft, while two others were identified as part of the conspiracy. “The SIT submitted its recommendations to the trust, following which an FIR was registered and action was initiated,” he said.Pointing out that around 150 people participate in the counting of offerings, he questioned attempts to tarnish the reputation of the entire institution.

“When action has been taken against the accused, what is the justification for defaming the entire trust, questioning Ayodhya and insulting the legacy of Lord Ram? It appears Congress and the Samajwadi Party have taken a contract to attack India’s faith,” he said.The CM urged devotees and citizens to remain vigilant against what he described as efforts to target religious institutions and symbols of faith. Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Yogi recalled the party’s stand in the Ram Setu case.

“When the Congress-led government was in power at the Centre, it sought to demolish Ram Setu and filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court claiming that Lord Ram was imaginary. It felt no shame in making such a claim about Lord Ram and Lord Krishna,” he said.Questioning the opposition’s criticism of developments in Ayodhya, he asked, “If Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are imaginary, then what are Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Shringverpur, Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Barsana and Panchavati?”The CM also referred to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, alleging that leaders of the Samajwadi Party had ordered action against kar sevaks.

“Those who lathi-charged and opened fire on Ram devotees have no moral authority to speak about Ayodhya,” he said.Targeting the previous SP government, he alleged that funds that could have been used for the development of religious centres such as Chitrakoot and for beautification of the Mandakini riverfront were instead spent on constructing boundary walls around graveyards.He also attacked the opposition over the Waqf issue, claiming that large tracts of government, religious and private land had been encroached upon in the name of Waqf and accusing Congress and the SP of opposing legislative measures aimed at addressing the issue.“Their double standards have reduced the credibility of politics. Their conduct changes so frequently that even a chameleon would feel embarrassed,” he said.BOXCM: Chitrakoot to have airconnectivity with Lko, DelhiTNNLucknow: Promising that flights would soon start operating from the Chitrakoot airport, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the district would be connected directly to Delhi and Lucknow via air.“The Bundelkhand Expressway has become a lifeline for the district and work on defence manufacturing corridor is on. A major industrial unit is also expected to invest there soon,” he said.Speaking in Chitrakoot on Wednesday where he inaugurated and laid foundation stone for 124 projects worth Rs 951 crore, the CM said that had Chitrakoot elected a BJP MLA in 2022 or a BJP MP in 2024, the constituency would have seen greater development.“Those who call themselves Samajwadi are afraid of coming to Chitrakoot. They do politics in the name of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia but promote their family. On coming to power, they work only for the family. They cannot see or think beyond the Saifai family,” Yogi said, adding “Ramayan Melas were started in Chitrakoot because of Dr Lohia but SP distanced itself from Ram and considered Aurengzeb and Babur as its ideals.”“Previous govts used to waste taxpayers’ money in getting boundary walls built for ‘kabristan’ (graveyards) and facilitating land encroachments in the name of waqf, whereas the BJP govt is investing in the beautification of Maharshi Valmiki’s Lalapur Ashram, Sant Tulsidas’s birthplace Rajapur, the Mandakini bank, and the Kamadgiri Parikrama Marg,” he said.The CM added that 64,000 acres of land encroached during the SP regime had been freed, and universities, hospitals, and industries were being established there.He said that an agreement was reached with Indonesia during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country, to export BrahMos missiles which would be made in Uttar Pradesh.“The Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Divyang University has been granted state university status,” Yogi said.

He also praised the management of Chitrakoot Inter College, saying that its 7,000 students will become the foundation of ‘Viksit Chitrakoot’ and ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.“Under BJP, development is reaching every section of society without any discrimination. This includes govt jobs for 9.5 lakh youths, free ration, housing, toilets, electricity connections, cooking gas, and Ayushman health cover to the poor. In Chitrakoot, a new centre of eco-tourism is also being developed through Ranipur Tiger Reserve,” the CM said.