Cong Demands CM's Assurance on Safety of Lord Jagannath's Funds in Yes Bank

Bhubaneswar, Mar 7 (PTI) With uncertainty prevailing over the fate of the fixed deposit of Rs 545 crore in the name of Lord Jagannath in the cash-starved Yes Bank, the Opposition Congress on Saturday sought clarification from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The opposition party said Law Minister Pratap Jena's statement that the Lord's money will be transferred to a nationalized bank by the end of March is not sufficient.

"Since the matter is of great concern and linked to emotion of the lakhs of devotees across the country, the chief minister must come out with a clarification in this regard," Congress leader Narasingha Mishra told reporters here.

Earlier in the day, while replying a question on the Lord's money being deposited in the Yes Bank, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, "We are trying to sort it out."

Patnaik did not assure the people on the safety of the Lord's money in the private bank, Mishra said.

"Patnaik must tell the people how the Lord's money was deposited in a private bank by defying the existing rules.

"Who are the persons or officials responsible for depositing Rs 545 crore in the private bank? What action has been taken against the persons concerned?" Mishra asked.

The Lord's money cannot be deposited in any bank without prior permission of the state government, Mishra said.

"The chief minister's silence on the matter has further deepened the mystery behind the act of depositing such a huge amount of money in a private bank," he said.

The Congress MLAs will certainly raise the issue in the Assembly which begins on March 12, he said, adding that people have the right to know who defied the rules and took the decision to deposit the Lord's money in a private financial institution such as the Yes Bank.

The bank has been facing liquidity problems for more than a year, Mishra said.

"We just want to listen from the Chief Minister's mouth that the Lord's money is safe," he said.

Patnaik's silence indicates that the government had evil design behind depositing the Lord's money in the private bank," he alleged.

He also demanded an impartial inquiry into the matter.

When reporters drew Mishra's attention that Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured that deposits in Yes Bank are safe, Mishra said, "We do not believe in Union finance minister. The BJP government at the Centre is not trustworthy. Let the Odisha chief minister make this statement."

In a related development, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra expressed concern on whether the Lord's money can be recovered from a bank which has been facing a financial crunch.

"It is indeed a matter of concern that the funds of Lord Jagannath have been kept in a single private bank," Mohapatra said.

According to the guidelines, the temple's funds should be credited in an account opened in a nationalised bank in the local area, Mohapatra said.

"Who has given the authority to the state government and the temple administration to break the guidelines?" he asked.

Shree Jagannath Sena, a Puri-based outfit, on Saturday, staged an agitation in the holy town demanding the intervention of the vigilance department into the issue. The outfit also lodged a complaint with the DSP of Puri Vigilance division.

"We have approached the vigilance department to probe into the matter," Sena Convenor Priyadarshan Patnaik said. PTI

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