The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, set up by the Centre in February 2020 following the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict, is likely to appoint Ram temple construction project manager Jagdish Aafle as its first secretary as part of a restructuring exercise triggered by the alleged donation embezzlement case.
The proposal to appoint Aafle, an RSS functionary from Maharashtra who has overseen the temple’s construction since its inception, is expected to come up for approval at the trust’s executive meeting on 2 September, temple sources said. The trust has recently created the post of secretary as part of a wider administrative overhaul, with a spokesperson also set to be appointed.
A resident of Pune, Aafle holds engineering degrees, including an MTech from IIT Bombay, and is said to have worked in India, Europe and the United States before returning to India. He joined the Ram temple project as honorary project manager on the recommendation of the RSS when construction began and has since been based in Ayodhya with his family.
The alleged donation theft first gained national political attention after Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav repeatedly raised the issue, accusing the BJP government of betraying the faith of millions of devotees and demanding accountability.
The restructuring comes weeks after the trust itself sought an investigation into allegations of misappropriation of cash offerings made by devotees. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted in June, submitted a preliminary report that led to the registration of an FIR and the arrest of eight accused.
The controversy also resulted in the resignation of then general-secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra, prompting a wider revamp of the trust’s administrative structure.
Renewing his attack on Wednesday, 29 July, Yadav linked the controversy to the alleged NEET paper leak, arguing that a government that failed to protect temple donations could not be trusted to conduct fair examinations.
“Those who could not protect donation boxes and the offerings made by devotees cannot be expected to prevent paper leaks or stop examinations from being cancelled. Those who can play with people’s faith can also play with the future of our youth,” Yadav told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Samajwadi Party MPs also staged a protest in the Parliament complex, carrying placards and raising slogans over the alleged embezzlement. Calling the BJP government the country’s “biggest crisis”, Yadav said, “Until this government goes, these problems will continue.”
Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, whose constituency includes Ayodhya, accused the BJP of shielding the main accused. “I congratulate Akhilesh Yadav for exposing the matter. But it is unfortunate that the BJP government is trying to protect the big fish. This is not an ordinary theft. It is a dacoity involving the faith of crores of devotees of Lord Ram,” he said.
Prasad also claimed the BJP would be defeated in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. “This government came to power because of Ayodhya, and it will also go because of Ayodhya. In 2027, Akhilesh Yadav will become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP will not even win 50 seats. This is not Awadhesh Prasad speaking; this is the voice of Prabhu Shri Ram,” he said.