The VHP has rejected the allegations of corruption against the Ram temple trust in the purchase of land in Ayodhya and warned of defamation suits against those trying to mislead people ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. "The construction of Ram Temple is authentic and transparent. Attempts to malign this divine movement are unfortunate. It appears that this misinformation campaign is being done by selfish motives. The political parties are trying to politicize the matter but it is related to faith," Vishwa Hindu Parishad's international working president Alok Kumar told news agency ANI.
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Tej Narayan Pandey and Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh on Sunday accused the Ram temple trust of corruption in a land deal and sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter. "The piece of land was earlier purchased for ₹2 crore by Ravi Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari. Ten minutes later, the trust bought the land for ₹18.5 crore on March 18," Pandey said at a press conference.
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Pandey also claimed that ₹17 crore was sent to the bank account of Ravi Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari through RTGS mode of payment and demanded a probe into the RTGS money transfer.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Alok Kumar said the land deal was a "transparent agreement". "We have suggested the trust file defamation case against the persons leveling false allegations against Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Uttar Pradesh assembly polls are round the corner that is why they are misleading the people with lies," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Alok Kumar said the land deal was a "transparent agreement". "We have suggested the trust file defamation case against the persons leveling false allegations against Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Uttar Pradesh assembly polls are round the corner that is why they are misleading the people with lies," he said.
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Alok Kumar, according to ANI, said on Monday that the land was in the name of Kusum Pathak, its original owner. She signed an agreement with Sultan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tripathi a few years ago and agreed to sell the land for ₹2 crore, which was the market rate of the land at the time, Kumar said.
Kumar also said that buying and selling of the land are being done on the basis of mutual dialogue and consent. "Kusum Pathak was ready to sell it but she could not sell it because she had already entered into a deal. Meanwhile, both Sultan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tripathi were also willing to sell it, but they couldn't take that decision without the consent of Kusum and moreover, they didn't have any agreement to sell it," he said.
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"But this deal was not possible without the consent of these four including Harish Pathak," he added.
The VHP leader said the price of land has gone up following the Ram Mandir verdict and the state government's announcement of the temple's construction. "The trust has found that the circle rate has lost its relevance. The present rate of the land in question is ₹18.5 crore," he added.
Asserting that there are no irregularities in the deal, he informed that all the money transactions have been done in cash, so there is no question of money laundering.
The Ram temple trust, created by the government after the Supreme Court’s landmark November 2019 verdict, has also refuted the allegations of corruption and dismissed demands of a probe. It said that land for the Ram temple in Ayodhya was purchased at rates lower than current market prices.