Opposition accuses RSS, BJP of looting devotees’ donations at Ram Temple

Maharashtra State Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Friday accused the RSS and the BJP of looting the offerings made by devotees at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded that the “real” culprits be punished severely.

“The first information report (FIR) registered to probe this scam has mentioned only mild sections of the Indian Penal Code, namely Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5). The FIR has been registered under mild provisions. The entire case must be investigated by an impartial and independent agency under the supervision of the Supreme Court. If the Modi government has any morality left, it should immediately order an impartial investigation into this matter. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) must immediately make public the registration details of the Ram Temple trust, its audit report and all financial statements,” Sapkal told media persons here on Friday.

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Sapkal said that during the investigation into the theft and misappropriation of funds donated by devotees at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust head Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned, but no FIR has been filed against them, nor have they been arrested. Besides the main accused, eight junior employees have been charged with theft and conspiracy and arrested.

Sapkal further stated that Champat Rai, the chief trustee of the Ram Temple Trust, has direct links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yet, he has been let off the hook, while those arrested include the employees who counted the donations, the person in charge of the counting process, the retired bank official who oversaw the process, and Champat Rai’s driver and confidant, Ramashankar Yadav (alias ‘Tinnu”).

Sapal alleged that the “real” perpetrators of the scam are roaming free, while employees are being arrested. “Most of the trustees of the Ram Temple Trust are close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. This is why no concrete action has been taken against them so far. By leaving the masterminds scot free, the Modi government is attempting to hang the innocents and save the thieves,” Sapkal alleged.

Sapkal said that many devotees from across the country had donated gold and silver bricks, diamonds, jewellery and other precious items to Champat Rai for the construction of the Ram Temple.

“The Sindhi community donated 200 kilograms of silver bricks, but they were not even given a simple receipt. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has not presented any public accounts for the hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees in cash, jewellery, gold and silver bricks, diamond necklaces and other valuables donated by devotees in the name of Lord Ram. This clearly shows the vast scope of this scam. Now, people are coming forward and providing information on their own,” Sapkal said.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut told media persons here on Friday that silver bricks and Rs 1 crore donated by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have gone missing.

“Where are the silver bricks and Rs 1 crore donated by Uddhav Thackeray to the Ram temple? No receipt or information has been given by the Ram Temple Trust about this so far,” Sanjay Raut said.

“The Shiv Sena had donated a 4-kg silver brick for the construction of the Ram temple, but the disappearance of that brick raises serious questions. Uddhav Thackeray donated Rs 1 crore and a 4-kg silver brick for the Ram temple in the presence of thousands of Shiv Sainiks and saints,” Sanjay Raut said.

“All this stolen money is used in politics, and it is being used to break political parties and purchase their MPs. Using the Rs 2,000 crore stolen from the Ram temple donation, AAP, Trinamool Congress and now six MPs of the Shiv Sena have been purchased,” Sanjay Raut alleged.

“Even after many years, no receipt or information has been given by the Ram Mandir Trust. Where did the Rs 1 crore and the silver bricks go? It is time to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter to find out who the real culprits are,” Sanjay Raut said.

Sanjay Raut also alleged that the main culprits in this case are still working in the Ram Temple Trust. “Those who call themselves Hindutva supporters are the ones stealing from the temple. They have stolen crores of rupees from the temple donation box,” Sanjay Raut said.