Trust’s clarification not clear enough: Akhilesh on Ram temple donation row

Lucknow: Political storm over irregularities in donations collected at Ram Temple in Ayodhya refused to die down as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said clarifications extended by the temple Trust were not clear enough. He once again highlighted claims that four suspects have been detained for diverting crores of rupees donated by pilgrims visiting the temple.

Akhilesh said the clarification offered by the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, was not clear enough. On Sunday, Rai had issued a statement saying that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra undergoes internal audits conducted jointly by Trust representatives and the State Bank of India staff. The audit process, which lasts several days, is presently underway. Nothing noteworthy has come to light yet.

Questioning the language used in the statement by the Trust, Akhilesh said the ‘clarification was not clear enough’. “It seems that this is something very routine which happens every week. It is so routine that they don’t think it is noteworthy,” Akhilesh said in a statement, adding that the temple Trust must take up the issue in the presence of all the trustees. “The moment all the trustees will sit together, the truth will come out,” Akhilesh said.

The former UP CM said the issue was a sensitive one and impacts the sentiments of millions of Ram devotees across the world. “The silence maintained by the state govt on the issue was as suspect as the clarification of the temple Trust,” he said.

Former Samajwadi Party MLA and ex-minister Pawan Pandey, who hails from Ayodhya, cited reports alleging that an amount ranging between Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore was missing from donations collected through temple donation boxes.

Demanding a thorough investigation, Pawan Pandey said stringent action should be taken against those found involved.

Ayodhya police, however, denied having any information about any irregularities related to donations. “We have not received any complaint in this regard,” said a senior police officer.

Temple authorities earlier claimed that nearly four dozen donation boxes were placed within the Ram Temple complex. Donations made by devotees were collected and recorded through an authorised counting mechanism.

‘Time for BJP to explain’

Lucknow: Taking strong exception to deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak attacking former minister Akhilesh Yadav for raising the Ram temple donation irregularity issue, the Samajwadi Party asked the BJP to come clean on the charges.

“Allegations of criminal breach, negligence and corruption are levelled against you all (BJP govt) and shameless people are giving lessons of Sanatan Dharm. Have the party hoppers been assigned the task to offer all the fallacious arguments,” said SP functionary and former MLC Udaiveer Singh on X in Hindi, quoting a video of DyCM Pathak questioning the SP chief on donation row.