Unnao gold hunt: Union Minister promoting "superstition", says JD(U)

New Delhi: Terming the ongoing gold hunt in Unnao "ridiculous", JD(U) on Monday threatened to file a police case against Union Minister Charan Das Mahant for promoting the alleged superstition and noted that the the seer who had claimed he had had a dream about the supposed treasure should ideally have been put in jail.

The excavation work is being carried out at the fort of Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh at Daudiakala village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh by a 12-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Shobhan Sarkar, a seer, had apparently had a dream that 1,000 tonnes of gold was buried in the ruins of the fort. He reportedly convinced the Union Minister about the presence of the gold, following which a team of ASI and GSI officials surveyed the area. "A tamasha is going on... I have heard of some people being superstitious, but I am saddened and worried that the government has become superstitious. On the dream of a sadhu, GSI and ASI suggested that they take up the excavation (of the site), which is ridiculous. They talk about gold. Can anybody see gold reserves in dream? This is idle talk. "I strongly condemn such superstition. I am sure not an iota of (gold) will be found there. I am forecasting nothing will be found there. The seer is now saying 'hang me if I am wrong'. Hanging is not done like this. But had there been a government in place, it would have sent him to jail," JD(U) President Sharad Yadav said at a press conference.

Attacking the government for encouraging superstition instead of inculcating a scientific temper among the people, Yadav said, "JD(U) will lodge a case against Mahant for promoting superstition." He said that the government should have stoutly rejected the seer's "baseless claims".

Reminded that BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had done a volte-face after initially having slammed the excavation, Yadav took a dig at the former JD(U) ally saying "superstition is also one of the planks of (the BJP)". He also took a dig at Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch for "not boldly speaking the truth" on the matter.