The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which was formed and assigned the responsibility to construct the Ram Temple by the Centre, is in the middle of a controversy with an alleged land scam that has led several Opposition leaders to demand a probe in what is being called the ‘Ram Temple Trust land scam’.
Joining the accountability-demanding Opposition, the editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Tuesday, 15 June, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to give an explanation and intervene if required.
The editorial said, “the Ram temple is a matter of faith for the country for which Hindus have bled. Additionally, donation amounting to crores of rupees has been taken from Hindus for the temple’s construction. So, all the transactions in the process of temple creation should be transparent. Which is why Saamana’s editorial has demanded intervention of PM Modi and RSS chief Bhagwat.”
Uphold Lord Ram’s Dignity: Saamana Editorial
The editorial read, “A new scam has come to the fore during the construction of the temple of Lord Shri Ram in the city of Ayodhya. For the construction of Ram temple, the central government established a 'Nyas', the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The trust was supposed to make all the economic transactions for the construction of the Ram temple.”
“Since all the people in the trust were Hindutva nationalists,” the editorial added, “there was no room for any doubt. But Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh revealed a shocking information, just 10 minutes ago. He has claimed that the land purchased for 2 crores has been acquired by the Ram Temple trust for Rs 18.5 crores. With the demand for investigation of this entire episode through CBI and ED, the smoke of suspicion has started rising from what is definitely going wrong under the guise of Ram temple construction.”
Shiv Sena’s Donation of Rs 1 Crore
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena’s donation of Rs 1 crore was also addressed by the editorial:
“As soon as the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram temple in Ayodhya was completed by Prime Minister Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, more than 4 thousand volunteers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad were roaming from door to door across the country, collecting donations from common people for the Ram temple fund. Crores of rupees were deposited. Shiv Sena has also given a fund of one crore rupees for the temple work. The faith of Ram devotees has gotten hurt. Whether it is right or wrong, it would be good for the matter to be revealed immediately.”
‘Champat Rai Will Have to Answer’
The editorial states that the transaction took place in the presence of Rishikesh Upadhyay, Mayor of Ayodhya, and Anil Mishra, trustee of the trust. “The special thing is that Rs 17 crore was deposited in the account of the concerned. What exactly is this all about? There is confusion about this. Only Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai will have to try to clear this confusion,” the editorial said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)