Accusing the Samajwadi Party of running a campaign against Sanatan, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asserted that no involvement of any sadhu or sant was found in the Special Investigation Team’s preliminary report on the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case.
He also alleged the Opposition violated House rules by seeking a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya despite the matter being sub judice in the Supreme Court.
Adityanath made these comments while addressing the media after the Uttar Pradesh assembly was adjourned for the day amid disruptions on the Ram temple donation issue.
“Those who have raised questions about the existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are today talking about faith. The SP government had committed the sin of staining the lanes of Ayodhya and flow of the Saryu river with blood,” he said.
He said the conduct of Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the House was shameful, unconstitutional and an insult to the sentiments associated with ‘Bharat Ratna’ Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.
“By disrupting the proceedings of the House, the Opposition is playing with the interests of 25 crore people of the state,” he said at a press conference.
{{/usCountry}}“By disrupting the proceedings of the House, the Opposition is playing with the interests of 25 crore people of the state,” he said at a press conference.
{{/usCountry}}“The Opposition’s behaviour amounted to disrespect towards the assembly and constitutional institutions.The entire state has witnessed the conduct of the Opposition in the assembly today. It is not only an insult to the House but is also undemocratic and shameful,” he said.
Referring to Rule 59 of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, Adityanath said matters pending before a court, tribunal or commission cannot ordinarily be discussed in the House unless the speaker permits it under exceptional circumstances.
The chief minister disclosed that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government on June 12, seeking an investigation after reports of irregularities appeared in sections of the media.
“The trust had been constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court. The state government could not intervene on its own without a request from the trust or directions from the court,” he said.
The state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 following the trust’s request, and the probe began on June 15. The SIT submitted its first interim report on June 23, following which the government forwarded its recommendations to the trust. Based on the findings, an FIR was registered in Ayodhya on June 25 and eight persons were arrested, he said.
While six of the arrested persons were allegedly found directly involved in misappropriating money from offerings, two others were taken into custody for their alleged roles in connection with the case, he said.
“There are more than 1,100 employees working in the Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex. Action has been taken only against those individuals whose involvement was established through evidence. There was no involvement of the sadhus and sants in donation theft. It is wrong to malign them. In Ayodhya, thousands of employees are serving devotees,” he said.
Hitting out at the SP and the Congress, the chief minister said both parties had opposed the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. “In 1990, the SP government ordered police firing on Ram Bhakts in Ayodhya. In an affidavit submitted in the court in the Ram Setu case, the Congress had questioned the existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna,” he said.The SP and Congress are trying to mislead the people on the Ram temple donation issue, he added.
During the Business Advisory Committee meeting and an all-party meeting, the SP had assured that it would submit notices under prescribed rules for issues it wanted to raise in the House, the chief minister said.
“The parliamentary affairs minister and I had made it clear that any issue admitted by the speaker would be discussed and the government would respond to it in a reasoned manner,” he added.
The chief minister alleged that despite knowing that the Ayodhya matter was pending before the Supreme Court, the SP attempted to raise it in violation of House rules.The speaker asked them to raise the issue in accordance with the rules of the House, but instead they disrupted proceedings, waved placards and showed disrespect to the chair, he said.
“The Opposition is repeatedly attacking constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission and the judiciary. It is also trying to spread “misleading and baseless” information rather than engage in constructive debate,” he said.
“The Samajwadi Party and other Opposition parties have no faith in discussion, constitutional values, or the high traditions of the House. By continuously disrupting the proceedings, they are playing with the interests of the people,” he said. The government wishes to hold meaningful discussions on every issue that the chair invites for discussion under the rules, he said, adding that the government is committed to public welfare.
“However, Opposition parties have never believed in democratic values. Instead, they deliberately seek to undermine the dignity of the House and make a mockery of democracy. They are continuously vitiating the atmosphere of the House,” he said.
Earlier, when proceedings of the second day of Monsoon session began on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey demanded a discussion on the Ram temple donation theft issue. Speaker Satish Mahana rejected the request, stating that it was not under the rules quoted by the Leader of Opposition. Soon, SP MLAs rushed into the Well of the House, shouting slogans against the state government and the alleged donation theft at the Ram temple.The speaker adjourned the proceedings. When the House reassembled at 12.20pm, the SP members again shouted slogans. After the supplementary budget was tabled, the chief minister rose from his seat to speak, but SP members continued to shout slogans. Later, the speaker adjourned the assembly for the day.