Accusing the Madhya Pradesh government of “checking the facts” instead of executing his proposal to build a temple to Sita at Divurumpola in Sri Lanka, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that he is “surprised that this Kamal Nath government is talking about checking the facts”.

A fresh war of words erupted on Tuesday between the ruling Congress party and the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party over a Sita temple in Sri Lanka.

In 2010, the then BJP government had decided to build a Sita temple in Sri Lanka with permission expected from the then Sri Lanka government.

In his tweets on Tuesday ex-chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged, “Officers of Kamal Nath government wish to conduct a survey in Sri Lanka to verify whether or not Mata Sita was abducted. What can be more ridiculous than this? Kamal Nath government has hurt the sentiments of crores of people by talking of examining a fact which the entire world knows.”

Chouhan said, “Entire country and the world know that Sitaji was kept in Ashok Vatika in Sri Lanka where she also underwent an ‘Agni pareeksha’. When I had visited Sri Lanka, it occurred to me that there should be a magnificent temple at the site. I am surprised that Kamal Nath government is talking of verifying the facts.”

Responding to Chouhan’s allegations minister for public relations PC Sharma said, “Nothing concrete was done by the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to build the temple. Chouhan wishes to draw political mileage by talking of the temple at the site where Goddess Sita stayed in Sri Lanka.”

Sharma said the government would look into the matter and see what could be done in this regard. The then Shivraj Singh Chouhan government only believed in making promises but doing nothing. For an instance, they did nothing on Ram Vangaman Path in Madhya Pradesh but Congress government not only made a promise but also initiated work on this.