The Congress on Wednesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over reports that BJP leaders and government officials are ‘rushing in’ to purchase land in Ayodhya in anticipation of hefty profits after the Supreme Court verdict on November 2019 had cleared the construction of the Ram Mandir.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said profiteering in the name of Ram was “a betrayal of Lord Ram”.
“The BJP leaders have not only committed a sin but also invited a curse … Why has the Prime Minister not uttered a word about this open loot? Is this not a betrayal of Lord Ram?” asked Mr. Surjewala at a press conference, referring to an investigation by a prominent national daily that claimed local BJP MLAs, Mayor, member of the State OBC Commission and other senior officials had purchased land near the under-construction Ram Temple after the top court’s Ayodhya verdict.
Rahul’s tweet
“A Hindu follows the path of truth. And a Hindutvawadi loots in the guise of religion,” former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, tagging the news report.
The report claimed that even land belonging to the marginalised people, including Dalits, was being purchased by influential people.
“I was not allowed to raise the issue of UP BJP Govt looting the land of marginalised communities in the name of Ram Mandir. The Session was adjourned sine die. Is Parliament now only a rubber stamp to bulldoze bills as the BJP deems fit?” tweeted Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
In the Upper House, soon after tabling of listed papers and reports, Mr. Kharge stood up holding a newspaper and started speaking about the issue.
Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu told the opposition leader that he had to give a notice first to raise the issue and pointed out that a newspaper report could not be read in the House.
Though Mr. Kharge said he was not reading the newspaper, the Chair did not allow. “I am reading from my notes,” he said, as several party colleagues, including Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni and Shaktisinh Gohil, were seen standing in his support.
