Patna: Accusing Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of stoking tension in society by claiming a temple in Bihar's Madhubani district had been purified four months ago, the BJP on Friday asked him to explain status of a high-level probe ordered into the 'incident'.
Manjhi had claimed that a temple in Andharathadhi village in Madhubani was washed after his visit there in August this year and set up a high-level official probe by then Darbhanga Commissioner Vandana Kini and Zonal IG AK Ambedkar.
BJP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement, "The people of Bihar have a right to know the status of the probe ordered into the alleged purification of the temple."
The state government should make the report public if it has been submitted, he said.
Alleging the chief minister sought cheap publicity by claiming the temple authorities had washed the structure after his visit due to the fact that he hailed from a maha dalit community, Modi said Manjhi's false claims had brought disrepute to 'Mithilanchal' and its people.
He further claimed that the report was not being made public as the officials could not get clinching evidence that the temple was purified because of chief minister's social background.
His ministerial colleagues Nitish Mishra and Ramlakhan Ram Ram, besides a JD(U) MLC Vinod Singh had categorically denied the incident by stating that they had visited the temple with the Chief Minister on the fateful day and the shrine was not washed soon after his visit as claimed by the latter, Modi said.
