Former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan‘s suggestion to religious trusts to deposit their gold with the banks to deal with the economic crisis that has arisen due to COVID-19 situation has invited strong criticism from BJP which attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the issue.
Reacting to Chavan’s suggestion, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said: “The people who go to temples are doing everything (during COVID-19 crisis ). They should ask Soniaji to get the locks of other religious places opened for helping the poor. Get their accounts checked.”
“Other religions also have religious places. They also have accounts. Why does no one ever say anything about them? They speak only about temples,” Vijayvargiya told reporters while reviewing arrangements at Indore Bypass for labourers returning from Maharashtra and Gujarat to their home towns in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP leader said that that the tents erected at the Bypass for migrants labourers were from a Hanuman temple. “Help has also come from Shirdi's Sai Baba and Tirupati Balaji Trusts. The temples are doing and will do whatever they can. Those who are not doing anything should at least not indulge in politics of votes at these times of crisis,” he added.
Vijayvargiya alleged that Congress and CPM had brought labourers on the road in Maharashtra. These two parties are responsible for this current situation (labourers returning to their home states).
Vijayvargiya also hit out at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who expressed strong displeasure at State governments being overlooked in the economic relief package.
“That package is for MSMEs. Are there MSMEs in Bengal or not? If Mamataji uses her brain, then she will know that the package given by the central government was not for any government. This package is for MSMEs. All the MSMEs of Bengal will get its benefit. Yes, this money will not go in Mamataji's pocket. So she has a problem, he added.
