Tamil Nadu Congress President Manickam Tagore questioned PM Modi’s silence on the Ram Temple donations scam. Accusing BJP-RSS of raising funds through temples, he said that this financial scam has raised serious concerns.
Congress raised questions on PM Modi’s silence
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [भारत]July 5 (ANI): Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement case, Tamil Nadu Congress president Manickam Tagore on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of using temples to raise funds. He said the reported financial irregularities raised serious concerns.
Addressing a press conference here, Tagore alleged that there was a financial scam in donations for the Ayodhya Ram temple and questioned why the Prime Minister had not reacted to the issue. Tagore said, “There has been a financial scam involving funds worth Rs 7 crore to Rs 7.5 crore related to the Ayodhya Ram temple. I do not understand why the Prime Minister is silent on this issue. RSS and BJP are raising funds by using the temples. The BJP therefore says that the temples should be handed over to the devotees so that they can have access to the money there. The BJP is following the same pattern in every state.”
Five accused will be interrogated in jail
His comments came amid the ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement of donations at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple. On Saturday, police sources said Ayodhya police have obtained permission from the court to interrogate five accused currently in jail in the alleged case of theft of Ram temple donations. The accused – Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav – are to be interrogated inside the jail premises, and their statements will be formally recorded. Police sources said that depending on the findings of the interrogation, investigators may later seek his custody for further questioning.
Ayodhya Sant Mandal in support of Champat Rai
Meanwhile, Ayodhya Sant Mandal has extended its support to Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and urged the Trust not to accept his resignation amid this controversy. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Sants said they have known Champat Rai for years and described him as an honest and dedicated person. He said that the allegations against him are baseless and appreciated his demand for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigation into the matter.
The Uttar Pradesh government has given an extension of 15 days to the SIT to expand the scope of its investigation and comprehensively investigate all aspects of the alleged embezzlement. While the investigation continues, a meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is also scheduled on July 6. (ANI)
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