Congress says BJP might use Ram Mandir funds for party work

Earthen lamps light up the banks of River Sarayu on the eve of the groundbreaking ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya last year. File pic/AFP

Doubting the authenticity of the door-to-door fundraising campaign of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Congress said that the funds might not be used for the real purpose. The party further said that the devotees should send the donations directly to the mandir trust instead of giving it to political workers.

Congress's Maharashtra chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that there was a strong possibility that the BJP-RSS would use the donations as party funds and the MVA government should ensure that the people of the state were not cheated.

Sawant said, "The BJP and the Sangh Parivar had earlier raised funds for Ram Mandir, but they didn't provide details of any accounts. The Nirmohi Akhada had accused the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of pilfering Rs 1,400 crore collected for the temple. The All India Hindu Mahasabha had also accused the VHP of misappropriating R1,400 crore and several quintals of gold. There has been no response from those accused of being guilty."

He said that the chairman of the Shri Ram Mandir Nirman Samarpan Nidhi Samiti in Moradabad had filed a case against four people for raising funds with forged receipts. In Pilibhit, five people had been exposed in the same way, he said, adding that Champatrai, general secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust, also complained about fake Twitter handles and websites in the name of the Ram Mandir Trust.

"The RSS-related news portal Op-India has warned people of a scam being operated under the name of the Ayodhya temple. It has published a list of 13 United Payment Interfaces, which are conning people. The Surat police also arrested a youth on January 16 for collecting money this way," said Sawant.

‘Process transparent'
State BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye countered, "The party that took the ashes of late Indira and Rajiv Gandhi to seek votes shouldn't bother about the Ram Mandir fundraiser. We understand the heartburn of the Congress because the general public is voluntarily donating for construction of the temple."

Upadhye added, there is utmost transparency in the fundraiser drive. The volunteers collecting money are giving proper receipts to the donors. People know how the funds raised for National Herald (Congress publication) were diverted for other purposes," he added.