India, Oct. 7 -- A year after a probe report by the Garhwal Commissioner found no irregularities in the gold decoration at Kedarnath temple, as alleged by the Congress, a war of words has erupted between Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue. Congress had alleged a multi-crore fraud in the gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum at Kedarnath temple, prompting the state government to order a probe. Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, who was asked to probe the allegations, in July last year submitted a probe report to the state government, which said that there was no material to suggest that a total of 228kg of gold was donated for the gold plating at Kedarnath, as the donor himself stated that only 23kg of gold was used. Former Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal said, "The BKTC earlier itself publicised that 230kg of gold was used in gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum at Kedarnath temple. If it was true, then why was it later said to be only 23kg?" "The priests also raised the issue..... photographs showed some parts appearing like gold while others looked like copper or brass. How did the gold turn into copper and brass? The remaining portion, said to be gold, was covered with an acrylic sheet so no one could touch it, and that it even seemed to be melting when water fell on it. A fair probe should have been conducted," he said. "Why was I not called or asked to register my statement," the Congress leader said. Former BKTC chairman and BJP leader Ajendra Ajay, during whose tenure the gold plating work was done, said, "The Congress has been making these allegations out of frustration as they are left with no issue. The probe report, which came out last year, gave us a clean chit. If they have any problem with the probe report, they can approach the court." "Also, Congress leader Ganesh Godiyal is saying he wasn't called to register his statement. He wasn't a complainant or party, how can he be a part of the probe?" "We had also made public the tax invoice of the jeweller from where the donor acquired the gold and the admission receipt (of BKTC). Those documents made it clear that around 23kg of gold was used at Kedarnath and 1,000kg of copper," Ajay said. Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said, "I gave my report to the government last year. If one party is making political comments on the issue, I have nothing to say." Located at a height of nearly 3,500 meters above sea level, the Kedarnath temple is located near the Mandakini River in the Rudraprayag district. According to tradition, the shrine was built by Pandavas and revived by the Adi Shankaracharya. The Kedarnath shrine was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods in the state, with Kedarnath town suffering extensive damage....