New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Opposition leaders on Thursday attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the latter accused Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress of “favouring graveyards” and opposing the developmental works of Hindu temples.

Addressing a public gathering in the state’s Banda district, CM Adityanath said: “They (Congress and SP) have made criticising Hindu traditions and Sanatana Dharma the sole purpose of their lives. They do not want to see a glorious and developed India. The money that our government allocates for the development of temples and the beautification of religious shrines used to go towards the boundary walls of graveyards during the Samajwadi Party’s tenure.”

“They hold a fondness for graveyards, which is why they oppose the development of the Ram Temple, Kashi Vishwanath, Maa Vindhyavasini Dham, Chitrakoot, and Naimisharanya Dham. The Samajwadi Party and Congress cannot digest the developmental work carried out by BJP representatives,” he added.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s statement, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei said: “Had we given the money meant for graveyards, that money would have been used for corruption. Those people who didn’t even leave donations made at the Ram Temple…they (BJP) have also laid their eyes on temples in foreign countries.”

“Whatever was investigated by the SIT, why was an FIR not lodged (against senior officials)? The Chief Minister is scared of taking the names of senior RSS leaders, so that they are not named in the FIR,” he alleged.

CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby accused CM Yogi of attempting to “create communal divisions and taking steps to divide people on communal lines”.

“He (Yogi) practices bulldozer politics. We criticise this. What he is doing is not right,” he told IANS.

However, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Manan Mishra backed CM Adityanath’s remarks.

“Whatever Yogi ji said is correct. They (Opposition) have created a fuss out of whatever irregularities took place at the Ram temple…whether it is (SP chief) Akhilesh (Yadav) or AAP leaders including (Arvind) Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh. They have all made a joke out of it,” he said.

He claimed that even the public is frustrated with the Opposition’s irrelevant claims.

“If there was any wrongdoing, an SIT was constituted, and it is probing the matter at large scale; people have been arrested, Trust officials have resigned… cognisance was taken, and the government is seriously looking into it. But Akhilesh Yadav and others have made an issue over it,” he told IANS.

–IANS

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