The government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) ordered an inquiry into the reports of relatives of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and government officials taking possession of land around Ayodhya's Ram Temple site, news agency PTI reported.
The Additional Chief Secretary of Information Navneet Sehgal spoke to the agency and said, "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the revenue department to probe the matter thoroughly."
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a press briefing on Thursday and appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognisance of Ayodhya 'land scam.'
"UP Government said that they're ordering an inquiry. Who's probing it? District Officer level officers, it is being probed at the level of District officers. Ram Mandir Trust was formed on basis of Supreme Court verdict. So, it should be probed by SC," Gandhi stated.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati echoed these concerns and demanded a high-level probe into the revelatory reports, The Indian Express reported.
She also reportedly urged the Centre to direct the state government to scrap the land deals.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier posted an image of one of the reports on his Twitter account and captioned it in Hindi,
"Hinduism follows the path of truth. Hindutva robs under the guise of religion."Rahul Gandhi
Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha had also sought to raise the issue on Wednesday, but as he was given a chance to speak, the house was adjourned sine die.
'There Is Loot in UP in the Name of Lord Ram': Surjewala
Meanwhile, the chief spokesperson of Congress Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to say that the UP government if a 'loot government.'
"In the name of Lord Ram, there is loot in the UP. This is treason," he wrote on Twitter.
The congress leader told reporters, "Respected Modiji, when will you open your mouth on this open loot? The Congress party, the people of the country and Ram Bhakts are asking these questions," PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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