"Concocted Story": Temple Priest On Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's 'Rs 21 Envelope' Claim Targeting PM Modi

The priest of Devnarayan temple in Bhilwara has accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of concocting a story about a donation envelope dropped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which allegedly contained only Rs 21 and denied making any statement regarding the matter.

On Thursday, the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to the Congress general secretary regarding her "envelope" remarks related to the Prime Minister's temple visit. This action was taken following a complaint filed by the BJP the day before.

BJP in its submission to the poll panel noted that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, during a public meeting in Dausa on 20 October, allegedly said that she had seen on TV that an envelope of donation made by PM Modi at a temple contained only Rs 21 when opened.

She added that she had seen the news and was not aware whether the claim was true or not, the BJP's complaint read.

In a statement released on Friday, priest Hemraj Poswal denied making any comments regarding an envelope allegedly dropped by Prime Minister Modi.

"Recently, in rallies in Dausa and Jhunjhunu, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi presented a concocted story and mentioned an envelope, hurting the religious sentiments of the followers of 'Sanatana Dharma' and those of Lord Devnarayan," he said, news agency PTI reported.

The priest inquired about Priyanka Gandhi and the Gandhi family's visits to Devnarayan temples, questioning whether they had ever visited one.

He also asked about the amount of donations made by the Gandhi family during their temple visits.

Praising former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, he said that during her tenure, a panorama of Lord Devnarayan was made by spending Rs 4.25 crore.

He emphasized that political gain should not come at the expense of hurting religious sentiments.