AYODHYA (UP): Facing flak over donation theft allegations, the Ram temple trust will hold its first meeting on Monday since the row erupted to decide on the resignations of its general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra and may be briefed on the interim findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Ahead of the meeting, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri distanced himself from the controversy, saying he had no role in the daily donation process. He said that all audit reports were “safe” and any authorised person can look into them.
“The extent of the unfortunate theft, when and how it occurred, is part of the investigation. The probe should be impartial. The court will do its job. We have faith in the SIT and the police. No culprit should be spared. Everyone should have full faith in the investigation and the judiciary. We are all with the truth,” Giri said in a statement.
According to sources, statements from Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, and special invitee Gopal Rao have been recorded by both the SIT, formed by the Uttar Pradesh government, and the police, which are probing the donation theft allegations. However, no FIR has been filed against any of the Trust functionaries.
The opposition on Sunday stepped up attack on the BJP and RSS, with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray launching the “Ram Raksha” agitation over the alleged donation embezzlement.
“It is unfortunate that those looting Hindus are in power. A robber cannot be asked to probe his robbery. It has to be done impartially,” Thackeray said at a rally in Mumbai.
He said he was worried about what would happen in Kashi and Mathura, referring to the slogan “Ayodhya toh jhanki hai, Kashi, Mathura abhi baaki hain (Ayodhya was a trailer, and Kashi and Mathura are yet to come)”, often used by Hindu outfits.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the BJP and RSS were responsible for an alleged “Rs 20,000 crore loot” linked to donations made in the name of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The BJP hit back, with party chief Nitin Nabin saying the parties which are now speaking about faith have a history of “insulting” Hindu faith and opposing the Ram Temple Movement.
“We will take action, and we will rectify shortcomings wherever necessary. But these anti-Hindu forces, which have always insulted Hinduism, Hindu gods and goddesses, and played with our faith, have no moral right to preach politics to us. Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal, do not think Hindu society is so weak that it will fall into your trap,” Nabin said in Lucknow.
Meanwhile, the Vishva Hindu Parishad has written to Ayodhya police, urging it to examine the claims made by several opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, and summon them to substantiate the allegations related to temple donations.
The RSS affiliate demanded that action be taken against them if it is found that they have made “wild allegations” intended to create and promote feelings of “hatred, ill will and enmity”.
The letter dated July 4 was sent to Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari, the investigating officer in the case, by VHP international president Alok Kumar.
Agenda for temple Trust meeting
———————————-
The meeting of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will be held at Mani Ram Chhawni, the monastery of Trust president Nritya Gopal Das, on Monday. Treasurer Giri has asked all regular and ex officio members to attend the deliberations.
According to Trust sources, it is likely to discuss the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, both of whom stepped down after being linked to the donation theft row.
If their resignations are accepted, the meeting is also likely to consider plans for a new administrative structure for the Trust’s operations. The role of special invitee Gopal Rao is also expected to be discussed, the sources said.
Additionally, the meeting is likely to include a briefing on the interim findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged embezzlement case, and will likely address the future management framework for the Ram temple.
Sources in Ayodhya said that an unaudited income and expenditure statement, balance sheet, and other financial details for the 2025-26 fiscal year will be presented for approval.
They said the possibility of 89-year-old Trust president Nritya Gopal Das attending the meeting is high following his discharge from the hospital.
Senior trustee K Parasaran, who cannot travel due to age-related health issues, may participate in the meeting via video conference.
Furthermore, discussions regarding the appointment of a chief executive officer to oversee the management of the Ram temple are expected to take place during the meeting, the sources told PTI.
Currently, the Trust comprises 11 regular members.
While an SIT is conducting an administrative probe and its tenure has been extended till the end of July, the police are investigating the case after an FIR was lodged on the Trust’s complaint. Eight people connected with collecting and counting cash have been arrested.
Opposition targets BJP, RSS; questions PM’s silence
——————————————————
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the BJP has a three-pronged strategy – “‘vote chori, seat chori, chanda chori”.
“Donations running into thousands of crores have been siphoned off. Of course, there should be an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge; of course the toughest action should be taken against all the accused, but the silence of the prime minister and the home minister is shocking,” he said.
“We all know that all those people who are part of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are in the trust because they are trusted by the BJP-RSS. To think that the RSS did not know what was happening, to think that the PM and HM did not know what was happening, is beyond imagination,” he said.
Ramesh asserted that the prime minister and the home minister must break their silence on the issue.
“You have seen how much looting is taking place in the name of God. What happened in Ayodhya? Did the poor do it? Did Dalits do it? Did farmers do it? No. It was people associated with the RSS and the BJP who did it,” Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, alleged.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas urged the Centre to reconsider its stand that the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is not a public authority under the RTI Act, saying such a move would be in the interest of transparency and public accountability.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah dated July 4, Brittas said major religious institutions established under statutory or governmental frameworks continue to enjoy autonomy in religious matters while functioning within transparent administrative and financial systems.
He urged the government to place a revised position before the jurisdictional high court so that the question of the Trust’s status under the RTI Act can receive an authoritative judicial determination.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded an impartial probe into the donation matter.
“If anyone loots a temple by misusing Hindutva, then Hindus will not spare them,” he said and gave a call for a “BJP-mukt Ram”, stressing that Lord Ram “belongs to everyone”.
The BJP hit back at Thackeray, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying he was glad that the Sena (UBT) chief had “finally remembered Ram” after allegedly abandoning the path shown by the Lord.
“Our only expectation was that he should remember Ram. He had abandoned Ram’s path. That’s why his party declined. If he walks the path of Ram, it will be good for him. Not just today, I expect that he will recite ‘Ram Raksha’ every day.”
Ever since Thackeray parted ways with it in 2019 and aligned with the Congress, the BJP has repeatedly accused him of abandoning Hindutva. This was also one of the reasons that current Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had cited when he revolted against Thackeray in 2022 and split the Shiv Sena.