Ram temple donation theft is ‘maha paap’: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Describing the alleged misappropriation of donations and offerings at Ram temple in Ayodhya as a ‘maha paap’ (mortal sin), which made a mockery of faith, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday questioned the objectivity of the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the theft.“Does SIT mean Share In Theft or is it supposed to mean ‘Sendh In Trust’ (dent in people’s trust)? Ye ek maha paap hua hai aur astha se khilwad hua hai (This is a mortal sin that has been committed, which has made a mockery of faith),” Akhilesh said during a news conference.The former UP CM said donations and offerings coming from all over India and abroad have been misappropriated.“This has put a question mark on our Sanatani traditions and culture.

This is a highly sensitive issue and must be handled with all seriousness,” he said.Earlier, Akhilesh sought answers from officials concerned on allegations that silver bricks weighing 200 kg that were donated to the Ram Temple have gone missing.He referred to the statements of World Sindhi Service Sangam International President Raju Manwani — who said 200 kg of silver worth Rs 1.5 crore was donated to the Ram Temple in 2021 — but no receipt was given to them till date.

Manwani said donors are seeking transparency and will await the findings of the ongoing SIT inquiry.Referring to the Aliganj blaze that claimed 15 lives, Akhilesh said the incident exposed govt failures on multiple fronts. Questioning the preparedness of the emergency response system, Akhilesh said the rescuers used hammers to make a hole in the wall to rescue people, which was time-consuming, and the use of cutter machines would have saved time.He said govt should provide jobs to the family members of those killed and give them an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each.‘BJP has deprived tribals of their rights’Lucknow: Paying floral tributes on the 463rd Martyrdom Day of Rani Durgavati, Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the BJP has denied the tribal community their rights.Akhilesh said members of the tribal community have a fundamental right over water and forests, along with mines and minerals, but have been deprived of this birthright by BJP govt.He said BJP govt in UP did not give jobs to any member of the tribal community in the appointment of 69,000 teachers in the state. Addressing office-bearers of the Akhil Bhartiya Gond Mahasabha, Akhilesh announced that Rani Durgavati’s gold statue will be installed at Gomti riverfront once SP was voted to form govt in the 2027 polls.