Maharashtra Congress raises questions over fundraising for Ram temple

Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that though the donation collection for the Ram temple is being done through Ram Mandir Trust, BJP and RSS workers are collecting donations by going door-to-door and there was a possibility of use of the funds for the party.

The Congress has raised questions over collection of donations for Ram temple in Ayodhya by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying there is a possibility of misappropriation of the funds. The BJP, on the other hand, said the Congress should not poke their nose in the issue as the drive has been accepted by the common people.

Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said there were a possibility of misuse of the funds. (HT FILE)

Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that though the donation collection for the Ram temple is being done through Ram Mandir Trust, BJP and RSS workers are collecting donations by going door-to-door and there was a possibility of use of the funds for the party. “In the past, the funds collected have been misused by the organisations related to Sangh parivar. There are many cases of misappropriation registered in various parts of the country. The state government should examine that the funds collected by BJP and RSS reach the trust,” said Sawant.

“Nirmohi Akhara, which has been fighting for the Ram temple for the past several years, has accused the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) of pilfering ₹1,400 crore collected for the temple in Ayodhya. The All India Hindu Mahasabha (AIHM) had also accused the VHP of misappropriating ₹1,400 crore and several quintals of gold in 2015,” he said.

He added, “Neither has the Sangh Parivar given any reply to the allegations nor has the BJP government investigated it. The AIHM had lodged a complaint with the Prime Minister’s office on August 4, 2017 related to this.”

The Congress leader further said that the AIHM has opposed BJP’s fund raising for the temple saying it was just a political and money-making programme.

The BJP has alleged that the Congress’s accusation is out of jealousy because of the response to the donation programme. “The fundraising is being done transparently. The receipts are being given to the donors on the spot. Even poor people have been responding to the drive because of the confidence they have in the organisations collecting it,” said BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye.

Citing that the Congress’s leadership is out on bail in the National Herald case, he said, “We will not divert the donation collected for Ram temple like funds were diverted to the National Herald.”