Congress’s Jayvardhan Singh questioned missing Ram Mandir donations, blaming BJP for politicising the issue and demanding management be handed to saints. Meanwhile, the UP govt has formed an SIT to probe the alleged corruption allegations.
Congress Leader Alleges Mismanagement, Blames BJP
Congress leader Jayvardhan Singh on Tuesday raised questions over the alleged missing donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the issue. He demanded that the temple’s management be handed over to the traditional saints of Ayodhya.
Questioning the reasons behind the alleged irregularities, he said that people across the country had contributed to the construction of the Ram Mandir. “Everyone donated for the construction of the Ram Mandir. We are all followers of Sanatan Dharma, and we also contributed to the temple’s construction. What is the reason behind this mismanagement?” Singh told ANI.
The Congress leader alleged that such cases of corruption were now surfacing because of the manner in which the temple affairs were being handled. “The BJP’s effort has been to politicise it, and that’s why such corruption cases are coming to light now,” he alleged.
Singh further demanded that the entire management of the temple should be entrusted to the traditional saints of Ayodhya. “The complete management should be handed over to the old saints of Ayodhya,” he said.
SIT Probe Constituted by UP Govt
Meanwhile, Parmarth Niketan Ashram president Swami Chidanand Saraswati welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations related to offerings made for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, asserting that discussions on the issue should be based on facts and not rumours.
Reacting to allegations of the temple’s missing donations, Chidanand said he was pleased that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had acted swiftly by ordering an SIT probe into the issue. “There are many rumours regarding the offerings for the Lord Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, but I am happy that the Chief Minister of the state, Yogi Adityanath, has taken immediate action and formed an SIT, and a decision will be taken very soon,” he told ANI.
He stressed that public discussion and scrutiny regarding Ayodhya and the Ram Mandir were important, but should be fact-based. “There should be discussion on Ayodhya and the Shri Ram Temple, questions should be raised, but it should be based on facts, not rumours,” he added.
On June 14, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT to investigate the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust. The SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IPS, IG (Range); and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance. The committee has been directed to submit its preliminary and final reports as soon as possible.
Other Opposition Parties Allege Misappropriation
Earlier on June 12, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut held the BJP governments in the Centre and UP responsible for the alleged misappropriation of funds worth Rs 7 crore from offerings made at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
The controversy stems from allegations levelled by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Pawan Pandey, former MLA from Ayodhya, who claimed that between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations had been swindled. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had also demanded an impartial investigation into the matter earlier while alleging that the silence of the UP government was suspicious. He had urged the judiciary to take cognisance of the situation and called on the temple administration to make relevant CCTV footage public.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)