JAIPUR: The priest of the Devnarayan temple in Rajasthan's Bhilwara has accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of fabricating a story about an envelope of donation dropped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, containing only Rs 21.
He vehemently denied making any statement about such an incident. The Election Commission took action on Thursday by issuing a show-cause notice to the Congress general secretary in response to her remarks about the "envelope" in connection with the prime minister's temple visit, following a complaint filed by the BJP.
The BJP's complaint highlighted Priyanka Gandhi's public statement during a meeting in Dausa on October 20, where she mentioned that she had seen on TV that when an envelope of donation made by Modi at a temple was opened, it contained only Rs 21. She clarified that she had seen the news and wasn't aware of the veracity of the claim.
The temple's priest, Hemraj Poswal, issued a statement on Friday, emphasizing that he had never made any statement regarding an envelope dropped by Prime Minister Modi.
Poswal alleged that local leaders had "planted" this news in the local media to tarnish the image of "Sanatan Dharma" (eternal religion), the temple, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He pointed out that there are thousands of Devnarayan temples across the country and questioned whether Priyanka Gandhi or any member of the Gandhi family had ever visited one. He also inquired about the amount of donations made by the Gandhi family during their temple visits.
Poswal commended former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, mentioning that during her tenure, a panorama of Lord Devnarayan was created at a cost of Rs 4.25 crore.
He emphasized that political gain should not come at the expense of hurting religious sentiments.
(With agency inputs)
