New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the controversy surrounding the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case was disturbing, given the emotional and religious significance attached to the project.
Speaking to ANI, Singhvi said, "Look at the amount of emotion and morality in this whole project... We are looking at this new structure, this new monument, with great reverence and a new beginning. In the middle of this, before it is even fully finished or become 100% commissioned, you have this kind of disgusting thing. This shows the nasty underbelly of Indian misgovernance... I think it is good to arrest those who are counting and all that. But the buck cannot stop here..."
Singhvi further alleged that the action taken so far was against "minions of the lowest order" while those at higher levels remained untouched.
"The coercive action has been taken against minions of the lowest order... the top is completely unscathed... This shakes the faith in the entire system... at least show exemplary action and find out how wide the rot is..," he added.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also launched a scathing attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party prioritises "wealth over faith" and cautioned that Lord Shri Ram would "never forgive" those who played with the sentiments of devotees.
"People have long felt that their (BJP) focus here is more on wealth than on religion; for them, wealth is religion--wealth comes first, faith later. This shouldn't be about any single individual. The CM claims to have set a world record for the number of visits to Ayodhya. Was he unaware of the situation?... The Sindhi community, for instance, has alleged that they had donated silver, diamonds, or made anonymous offerings. Lord Shri Ram can never forgive those who have thus toyed with people's faith," he told reporters in Azamgarh.
Meanwhile, a court in Ayodhya on Friday sent eight accused to judicial custody till June 29 in the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case.
The accused were produced before the local court after being arrested.
KC Verma, Prosecution Officer at the Ayodhya Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court, told reporters that all eight accused had been remanded to judicial custody till Monday and would be produced before the court again on June 29.
"In total, Rs 79,85,493 was recovered from them, except for one accused, Subhash. Nothing was recovered from him, though he was involved in the conspiracy. Different amounts were recovered from the others," he said.
Verma said eight accused have been arrested-- Avinash Shukla, Ankalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Rama Shankar (alias Tinnu). (ANI)
