Cong seeks Ram temple trust's dissolution over donation theft allegations

Congress accuses the BJP-RSS of shielding the real culprits in the Ram temple donation theft case and demands dissolution of the trust and a Supreme Court-monitored probe

The Congress on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) of "whitewashing" the theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya to protect the "real culprits" and demanded that the temple trust be dissolved. It said the new trust should include Hindu saints and religious representatives rather than representatives of the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates, such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).

 

On Tuesday, in a handwritten note to "Ram bhakts", Champat Rai said he would respond to all allegations of embezzlement of donations against him after the SIT submits its final report. He said "baseless allegations" had been levelled against him. On Monday, the Ram temple trust accepted the resignations of Rai as its general secretary and member Anil Mishra in the wake of the donation theft row.

 

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot demanded that an independent Supreme Court-monitored investigation be carried out into the alleged donation theft, that the details of all offerings be made public, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his "silence" on the issue since he led the "pran pratishtha", or consecration, ceremony of the temple instead of, as is customary, a Hindu religious head.

 

Gehlot alleged that during his tenure as the Rajasthan CM (2018-23), the stone for the construction of the Ayodhya Ram temple was sourced from Bansi Paharpur in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, where illegal mining was rampant. Gehlot claimed he had told Champat Rai that illegally mined stone should not be used for such a sacred task. Gehlot claimed the issue was taken up at the highest level at the Centre and "we then recommended de-notifying that area from forest land classification".

 

"The area was subsequently removed from the forest category; since it involved the Ram Temple, the process went smoothly. Otherwise, such things usually take years and often never happen. We were thanked for it, though that is a separate matter," he said.

 

Gehlot said that the true "chaal, charitra aur chehra" (conduct, character and face) of the BJP, RSS and VHP now stood exposed and that they had captured the temple administration in an unauthorised manner. Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's comment that the Congress and others did not have any right to speak on the issue since they opposed the construction of the Ram temple, Gehlot asked why the UP CM did not head the new trust and restore the people's confidence.