'Was CM setting record of Ayodhya visits to oversee theft?' Akhilesh targets Yogi

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday targeted Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case, questioning his repeated visits to Ayodhya and asking whether they were meant to "oversee ongoing thefts."Taking a swipe at the chief minister Yogi, Akhilesh referred to the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which reportedly found that CCTV footage had been tampered with, and questioned how the alleged irregularities went unnoticed despite Adityanath's frequent visits to the temple."The SIT report itself indicates that CCTV footage was tampered with. Was the chief minister setting a record for the number of visits to Ayodhya just to oversee ongoing theft? Why is it that, despite making so many visits, he remained unaware of the activities taking place within the temple complex?" former UP CM told news agency ANI on Saturday.The Samajwadi Party chief also criticised the quality of development in Ayodhya, saying it had failed to match the city's stature as a global pilgrimage destination."The development and work carried out in Ayodhya fell short of expectations; a place visited by people from across the globe should feature world-class infrastructure, and the devotees arriving with faith deserve international-standard amenities," he said.His remarks came a day after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility in connection with the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case.Meanwhile, a court in Ayodhya on Friday remanded eight accused to judicial custody till June 29 in the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case. According to officials, those arrested are Avinash Shukla, Ankalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Rama Shankar alias Tinnu.Akhilesh also attacked the Centre over recurring examination paper leaks, alleging that students continued to suffer due to administrative failures."This is nothing new under this government. Issues regarding education, examinations, and paper leaks are recurring events; the government fails to learn from its mistakes, and the consequence is that our students and those preparing for exams are the ones who suffer," Samajwadi Party boss said.He further questioned the government's employment promises, saying, "The government speaks of building a 'Viksit Bharat' but if paper leaks continue in this developed India, who will provide employment? This is a major question for which the government must find a solution."Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party was responsible for the recurring problem, Akhilesh said, "As long as the BJP government remains in power, paper leaks will persist. There is only one party in the country creating this crisis: the BJP. The crisis will only be resolved when the BJP is removed from power."Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.