Ayodhya donation theft: Congress demands Supreme Court-monitored probe
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari on Sunday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the alleged theft of donation money at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, claiming that the corruption was not new and that the state-appointed probe was a “sham.”
Speaking at a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Mr. Tiwari, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said eight persons have been arrested in connection with the theft. He asserted that the alleged embezzlement dates back to the 1980s, when the shila pujan, or foundation stone laying ceremony, was conducted.
“I hail from the Awadh region myself, and between 1985 and 1990, I served as the Tourism Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. I have witnessed the Ram Janmabhoomi movement from very close quarters,” Mr. Tiwari said, adding that the recent theft was not an isolated incident.
The Congress leader alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate the matter was a “sham,” claiming that the person heading the probe was himself under criminal investigation. He also alleged that seers and saints were excluded from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, while individuals associated with the BJP and the RSS were inducted instead.
Mr. Tiwari blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for personally selecting every member of the trust and said he could not evade accountability for the alleged theft of temple offerings. “If Modi ji has claimed credit for this, how can he absolve himself of the sins committed by the very people to whom he entrusted the responsibility?” he asked.
He further accused Champat Rai, former general secretary of the trust, of institutionalising the “theft.” Without an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, Mr. Tiwari said, the true culprits would never be identified.
The Opposition would continue to raise the issue in Parliament, he added.
The BJP and the temple trust had not responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
