Jagannath Temple Fund In Yes Bank: Oppn Demands Probe

Bhubaneswar: The Opposition on Saturday demanded a probe into the deposit of Jagannath Temple fund money in Yes Bank and action against the concerned officials.

Briefing the media here, BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra said that neither the temple administration nor the state government can violate Section 4(6) of the Temple Act, which clearly states that the foundation fund and the donation (hundi) by the devotees have to be deposited in a nationalised bank. “Despite this, the temple administration has gone above the Act and deposited the temple fund in a private bank. Who had given the authority to take such a decision? The state government should take immediate action against the concerned officials and register a criminal case,” he said.

He also said that the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary should take up the matter with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) at the earliest for the transfer of the temple fund from Yes Bank to a nationalised by March 31.

Congress leader Suresh Routray said that the Law Minister has promised the transfer of the temple fund to a nationalised bank within a month. If the fund is not refunded within a month, there will be a statewide agitation.

Refuting the Opposition allegations, BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik said like nationalised banks, private banks can also do such a banking operation by obtaining a license from the RBI, which regularly checks and verifies their transactions. Hence, the issue should not be politicised.