JOIN USLand purchase in Ayodhya by bureaucrats, politicians triggers controversy; Priyanka says BJP is 'selling faith'
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP of "selling faith and trust'' of the people and sought a high-level probe into the same.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Priyanka, accompanied by Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala, alleged large scale irregularities in the purchase of lands by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Khestra Trust, which was overseeing the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The UP government has ordered an inquiry into the alleged purchase of lands by the bureaucrats and politicians in and around Ayodhya prior to and after the start of construction of the Ram Temple, according to the official sources.
''People from across the country...poor women and others have given donations for the Ram Temple. A campaign was also launched to collect donations from the people. The money collected through the donations has been used to buy cheap lands for crores by the Trust. is this not a scam?'' she said.
The Congress leader said that the Trust had bought a piece of land measuring 10,000 square metres for Rs 8 crore from some person in 2021. Another piece from the same block of land measuring 12,000 square metres was purchased by another person for only Rs 2 crore barely 19 minutes after the first deal. ''This land (12,000 metres) was then sold to the Ram Temple Trust for Rs 18 crore. Witnesses in the sale deed were an RSS functionary and the Mayor of Ayodhya,'' she claimed.
Earlier the Aam Admi Party (AAP) had also levelled similar allegations, demanding a CBI probe into the matter.
Trust secretary Champat Rai had rejected the allegations and said that the land was purchased below the market value.
The Trust has been on a land-buying spree ever since it was entrusted with the task of constructing the Ram Temple. The Centre had allotted 70 acres of land for the Temple which the Trust later decided to expand by purchasing several temples adjacent to the Ram Janambhoomi.
The state government has ordered a probe into the matter by a senior IAS officer and has asked him to submit his report within five days.
According to sources, several bureaucrats including IAS and IPS officers, politicians and their relatives have bought large chunks of land in and around Ayodhya soon after the Ram Temple verdict was delivered by the Supreme Court apparently in anticipation that the land prices would shoot up once the Ram Temple construction started.
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