Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 3 (ANI): Veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Friday placed a poster outside his residence stating, "entry prohibited for donation thieves" and reiterated his allegations of misuse of donations collected at Ayodhyay Ram Temple.
Singh said that he had made a donation for the Ram Temple and would travel to Ayodhya to file a lawsuit before the court seeking the return of his donation.
"There were two fundraising campaigns for Ram Temple. The first was when LK Advani undertook the Rath Yatra. I had donated at that time as well because I have faith in the Ram Temple and in Lord Ram. However, till date, there has been no accounting of the funds collected during the first donation drive. Then, after the Supreme Court's verdict, another donation campaign was launched by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. I did not donate to the VHP because I have no trust in them," said Digvijaya Singh.
He added that he made donations directly, elaborating that he contributed more than that of the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
"I donated directly. Since Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was then the Chief Minister, had donated Rs 1 lakh, I thought I should contribute more and donated Rs 1.11 lakh. I also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that my donation be deposited into the trust. The Prime Minister's Office, however, returned it to me. After that, I deposited the amount myself and received an official receipt. Those of us who donated did so out of faith in Lord Ram and with the hope that a grand temple would be built," Singh said.
He added that Champat Rai, who was made the key functionary of the trust, allegedly appointed outsiders on salaries of Rs 10,000-15,000, and every day, 10 to 20 per cent of the cash bundles from the donations would go missing. Even bank officials and employees were allegedly involved. This is a grave betrayal of faith in Lord Ram.
"I have decided that I will file a claim in Ayodhya itself, stating that the donation I made has been misused and looted. Therefore, my donation should be returned to me, and I will deposit it into the trust that we have established. I will approach the court. What faith can one have in the police? The police are under the BJP," the Congress leader said.
Along with this, Singh further alleged that similar irregularities could be taking place at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. He claimed that land near the temple had been allotted to an RSS trust during the tenure of former Chief Minister Sundarlal Patwa, alleging that an RSS guest house had been constructed there.
"I also declare that just as donations were allegedly stolen by organisations associated with the VHP and the RSS, the same may also have happened at the Mahakal Temple. A valuable piece of land near the temple was allotted by the government of Sundarlal Patwa to an RSS trust. When my government came to power, I objected to it, and we have the complete records. They built an RSS guest house there. Now, the building where they earlier ran a Saraswati Shishu Mandir school has been demolished, and they are constructing a 100-room hotel. Those who stay there automatically receive VIP darshan. The donations being collected there are being misused by this organisation, and we will also demand an investigation into that," the Congress leader said.
He added that he would begin a foot march from Ujjain to Ayodhya from October 2. The march will be completely non-political and no party flags will be allowed. Anyone who has faith in Lord Ram and has donated for the Ram Temple can join the march.
Earlier in the day, the veteran Congress leader also participated in a protest organised by the Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress in Bhopal over the alleged embezzlement of donations meant for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The Congress leaders organised a 'Sadbuddhi Yagya' (prayer for wisdom) under the leadership of state Mahila Congress president Reena Bourasi.
Speaking at the protest, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh says, "...They asked Anil Mishra and Champat Rai to resign, but the Treasurer, Mahant Govind Giri, was not asked to step down, and no FIR was registered against Champat Rai or Anil Mishra...A friend of mine--a top criminal lawyer in Delhi--called me and said Digvijaya, regarding the donation you made, you should file a case in the Ayodhya court that they have stolen funds meant for a cause of faith; demand that the money be returned so that you can deposit it at the Shankaracharya's math or Ramalaya Trust. I will meet my lawyer on the 5th or 6th and go to Ayodhya to file a lawsuit. I will have all these trustees sent to jail..." (ANI)
