Social activists for high-level probe

BHIWANI: Raising eyebrows on the transaction of Rs 70 lakh in cash as ‘dakshina’ to pandits on the concluding day of the Lakschandi Yajna here, RTI activist Pawan Anchal has demanded a high-level probe into the incident asking how banned currency could be given when it was declared illegal tender.

Sat Singh

Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, December 13

Raising eyebrows on the transaction of Rs 70 lakh in cash as ‘dakshina’ to pandits on the concluding day of the Lakschandi Yajna here, RTI activist Pawan Anchal has demanded a high-level probe into the incident asking how banned currency could be given when it was declared illegal tender.

Anchal, who exposed the Raxil scam, said it was ironic that the BJP governments at the Centre and the state were asking people to go cashless after demonetisation but their party leaders were handing out banned notes to pandits.

Demanding a high-level probe, he stated that the Income Tax Department should question the organising committee members about the source of money distributed and the motive behind bypassing banking transaction.

Dubbing the distribution of scrapped notes as illegal, comrade Om Prakash asked how could one dare to use banned notes in front of ministers without their tacit approval. He said whether it was an attempt to get rid of black money or not could become clear after a probe by a law-enforcing agency.

Lakschandi Mahayag Ayojan Samiti that mostly comprises BJP and RSS leaders had organised a nine-day yajna here in which nearly 2,000 pandits from and out of the state were invited to chant Sanskrit shlokas from December 4 to 12.

During their participation in the yajna, Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had announced Rs 21 lakh, Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar Rs 5 lakh and CPS Kamal Gupta Rs 7 lakh for the organising samiti.

Some of the pandits refused to accept ‘dakshina’ of Rs 3,500 in old currency by calling it an attempt to settle black money in the guise of a mega religious event. Others regretted that they performed a holy job but were made a part of unholy thing.

Sources said the organising committee had asked people to donate generously for the religious event and more than Rs 1 crore, mostly in banned currency, was collected in the past one month.

Samiti’s convener and Chairman of Haryana Livestock Development Board Rishi Prakash Sharma said the donation was not given by one or two persons but public and hence, it was given to pandits.

Rubbishing the black money charge, he said Opposition political parties were spreading rumours discrediting a holy yajna done for the welfare of society.