'Issue being overblown': UP dy CM Maurya backs Champat Rai amid Ram Temple row

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday defended former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai amid the ongoing embezzlement row, claiming that Rai worked with immense dedication for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement.While talking to reporters, Maurya said the incident was painful, but turning it into a major public debate was unnecessary."The investigation is underway. There is no need to comment while it is in progress. However, both the SIT and the police, after registering an FIR, are investigating the incident that took place there. Please wait for the investigation to be completed. The opposition has no moral right to speak on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. Whatever Akhilesh Yadav is doing is only pushing the Samajwadi Party further into decline," Maurya said."The people who were serving there as employees and who allegedly committed this act of theft are under investigation. Certainly, it is a painful incident, and it should be considered unacceptable from every perspective. Those who worked with immense dedication, almost like ascetics, for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement—including Champat Rai Ji and everyone who was part of the movement and the temple's construction—have all been deeply pained by this incident. But the way this issue is being turned into a major public debate is unnecessary. Whoever has committed theft has done wrong, and action will be taken against them. That action is already under way," he added.Maurya's remarks came after Champat Rai resigned as the trust's general secretary amid allegations of large-scale embezzlement of devotees' donations, with questions being raised over his alleged role in the matter.Meanwhile, pressure on the temple's management continued to mount. Earlier, the Faizabad Bar Association demanded that Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao, all associated with the temple's management but not named as accused in the FIR, "must leave" Ayodhya.The lawyers warned that if the three did not leave "within three days", they would blockade the entire city and prevent anyone from entering Ayodhya.The Bar Association also said it would move the court under Section 156(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, seeking directions for the registration of an FIR against Champat Rai, Gopal Rao and Anil Mishra.The provision empowers a magistrate to order a police investigation into a cognisable offence if no action has been taken on a complaint.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.