Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader and former minister Narasingha Mishra Saturday targeted the ruling BJD and sought a clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on huge deposit of Srimandir funds amounting to Rs 545 crore in Yes Bank.
Addressing newsmen here, Mishra, also the leader of Congress legislature party in the Assembly, said, “The Chief Minister should clarify to the people of the state on what circumstances and on whose directions such huge fund of the Jagannath temple as kept in Yes Bank.”
He said the Chief Minister should also explain what action he has initiated against the officer concerned who deposited the temple funds in Yes Bank despite government circular that the money will not be kept in a private bank.
Mishra said each and every devotee of Lord Jagannath has the right to know about the fund of the temple and the Chief Minister is yet to say that the fund of Srimandir is safe.
The Congress party, he said, will raise the issue in the Assembly and demand for an impartial inquiry into the incident if the Chief Minister did not give a satisfactory clarification on the deposit.
The Congress leader said the Jagannath temple fund was kept in a nationalised bank but later the money was withdrawn and deposited in Yes Bank.
It was still not clear who took the decision to withdraw Srimandir funds from the nationalised bank and deposited in Yes Bank.
Senior BJP leader Bijaya Mohaptara demanded criminal action against the officer who has taken the decision to deposit the temple funds in Yes Bank in clear violation of the temple guidelines.
Meanwhile, the Jagannath Sena held a protest and demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
The Puri unit of BJP Saturday held a demonstration before the Srimandir office demanding action against the officer for depositing the Jagannath temple fund in Yes Bank.