New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government's revenue department will conduct an inquiry into the reports of alleged purchase of land by relatives of government officials and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders near the upcoming Ram Temple in Ayodhya, news agency PTI reported.
In an exclusive report published on Wednesday, The Indian Express had claimed that MLAs, mayors, relatives of the commissioner, SDM and DIG bought land in Ayodhya after the verdict on the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was announced by the Supreme Court, which cleared the way for construction of the Ram Temple.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the revenue department to probe the matter thoroughly," the PTI report quoted Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal as saying.
Quoting Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Manoj Kumar Singh, a report in The Indian Express said late Wednesday that the CM has sought a report within a week, and that the inquiry would be conducted by a special secretary-rank officer.
Meanwhile, the news report about the alleged land deals invited opposition's flak for the BJP government in the UP and at the Centre. Sharing a screenshot of the report, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted a tweet in Hindi that said: "Hindu follows the path of truth. Hindutva robs under the guise of religion."
Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, raised the issue in Parliament on Wednesday, while Congress chief spokesperson and general secretary Ramdeep Surjewala called it a “land scam” and said there was an “open loot of land inside Ayodhya city by people connected to the BJP”.
"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. Is this not treason? Is it anything less than treason? The BJP is now running the business of 'Andher Nagri, Chaupat Raja' in Ayodhya," Surjewala said.