New Delhi:
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Surendra Rajput said that while action was being taken against a few junior staff members, the “real masterminds” were being protected. He claimed that the scam “points directly towards the PMO and the RSS chief”.
Citing figures released by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Rajput said nearly 16 crore devotees had visited Ayodhya around the Kumbh, but the Trust had reported donations of only Rs 84 crore during this period. He questioned how the amount could be so low, arguing that if each devotee had donated even Rs 200 on average, the total should have been around Rs 3,200 crore. He asked what had happened to the remaining Rs 3,116 crore.
Rajput also questioned the temple’s construction expenditure, saying stone suppliers from Rajasthan had offered to provide stone free of cost, but the Trust instead purchased it at Rs 500 per square foot. He further said Larsen & Toubro (L&T) had offered to build the temple for a token Re 1, yet the project reportedly cost about Rs 2,100 crore. He also sought an account of 200 kg of silver bricks donated by the Sindhi community and jewellery offered by devotees.
The Congress leader further alleged that the Trust had purchased land worth Rs 84 crore around eight kilometres from the temple complex at prices significantly above market rates, adding that cattle fodder was now being grown on the land. He asked for whom the fodder was being grown, given that there was no cowshed near the temple. He also questioned why the Trust had been kept outside the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Questioning the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the donation theft, Rajput pointed out that its chief, Vijay Vishwas Pant, was facing FIRs related to fraud and forgery, raising concerns over the credibility of the investigation.
Rajput also referred to the Ram Temple movement and said former chief priest Mahant Lal Das had been removed from his post on false allegations before being murdered, adding that the perpetrators had not been brought to justice till date. He further alleged that the Trust had been turned into a political body and that its composition reflected the influence of the BJP, RSS and Vishva Hindu Parishad rather than religious leaders.
The Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had played a key role in the formation of the Trust as well as in the temple’s foundation-laying and consecration ceremonies. He said the Prime Minister could not evade responsibility and should clarify his position to the nation.
