SP MP Awadhesh Prasad demands probe into alleged land scam in Ayodhya

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad on Monday demanded a probe into the alleged land scam in and around Ayodhya town and claimed that the BJP "betrayed" the people of the area.

Participating in the debate on Budget in Lok Sabha, Prasad alleged that the BJP has indulged in politics and trade in the name of Ayodhya and hence, the people of the town have rejected the saffron party.

Prasad was elected to Lok Sabha in the last general elections from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad constituency under which the Ayodhya comes.

"In the budget, there is no mention of Ayodhya and Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has only indulged in politics and business in the name of Ayodhya. The BJP has hurt the people of Ayodhya," he claimed.

Demanding a probe into the alleged land scam in and around the temple town when the Ram temple was being constructed, the SP leader said Parliament should constitute a committee to probe into the alleged irregularities and the report should be tabled in the House.

"People of the country should know how people of Ayodhya were cheated, how Ayodhya was destroyed and how buildings were destroyed using bulldozers," he said.

Prasad claimed that the BJP will be "wiped out" from the country.

"The BJP will be defeated in UP in 2027 and in the entire country in 2029," he said.

Participating in the debate, BJP leader Vishnu Datt Sharma said the budget will fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.

He said Modi, being the son of a poor, understands the pain of the poor people of the country and hence, has been relentlessly working for the welfare of the downtrodden people.

Sharma said the budget has made a provision of Rs 2 crore for the youth, which will help create jobs for four crore youths of the country in 10 years.

P V Midhun Reddy of the YSR Congress Party demanded that the violence which occurred after the new government took over in Andhra Pradesh should be stopped and law and order should be restored there.

Reddy said the budget made a provision for a package for Andhra Pradesh which is not acceptable and demanded that special category status should be given to the state.

"The special category status to a state can't be replaced with a package," he said.

Participating in the debate, Trinamool Congress MP Satabdi Roy claimed that the budget was prepared to benefit only two states and it was a "BJP Bachao Budget".

She said the budget has nothing for creation of jobs, making new infrastructure and the welfare of women and children.

Roy said the budget has no mention about West Bengal and nothing about railways.

She said people feel insecure while travelling in trains as there have been several accidents in recent past.

K Francis George of the Kerala Congress said there has been a decline in allocation for agriculture.

He said Kerala has sought a package of Rs 24,000 crore to tide over its financial crisis but there is no mention about it in the budget.

George said rubber should be brought back in the list of agricultural products from the list of industrial products.

Intervening in the debate, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the budget was prepared for the benefit of the whole country.

The NDA government has been giving high priority to the interests of the poor, farmers and middle class, she said.

"The NDA government is of the people, for the people and by the people," she said.

Patel, who belongs to the BJP ally Apna Dal (S), said the opposition has been predicting that the NDA government will fall but that is nothing but "Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne" (day dreaming).

"Our government will complete its term successfully," she asserted.