BJP govt wants to grab gold in Kerala’s Padmanabhaswamy temple, says Maharashtra Congress chief

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, saying the saffron party wanted to acquire land through the new Waqf Act.

 

In another sharp attack, he alleged that the BJP government has set its eyes on "grabbing" huge amount of gold in the famous Padmanabhaswami temple in Kerala.

 

Sapkal was speaking to reporters after offering prayers at the Kalaram temple in Nashik on the occasion of Ram Navami.

 

"They (the BJP government) want to grab the huge amount of gold in the Padmanabh temple,” he said. 

 

Padmanabhaswami temple in Thiruvananthapuram district is a famous Vishnu temple which gained national attention after a huge amount of gold including gold thrones, crowns, coins, statues and ornaments, diamonds and other precious stones was discovered in some of the subterranean vaults in 2011, making it one of the richest temples in the world.

 

Sapkal entered the Keralam temple in Nashik holding the Constitution book to honour the satyagraha led by Babasaheb Ambedkar to gain entry into the shrine.

 

"I entered the Kalaram temple holding the sacred Constitution written by Babasaheb to have darshan of Lord Ram," he said. 

 

"Lord Ram belongs to everyone, he is an integral part of the Indian culture," the Congress leader said as he attacked the BJP and its linked organisations for chanting the name of Lord Ram for politics.

 

“Commoners in the country and the state are devotees of Lord Ram since their birth and therefore they will throw the BJP out of power one day," he said.

India