Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 5 (ANI): Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, Tamil Nadu Congress President Manickam Tagore on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of using temples to raise funds, alleging that the reported financial irregularities had exposed serious concerns.
Addressing a press conference here, Tagore alleged that a financial scam involving donations to the Ayodhya Ram Temple had taken place and questioned why the Prime Minister had not responded to the issue.
"There has been a financial scam involving funds ranging from Rs 7 crore to Rs 7.5 crore related to the Ayodhya Ram Temple. I don't understand why the Prime Minister has remained silent on this issue. The RSS and the BJP have been raising funds by using temples. The reason the BJP says temples should be handed over to devotees is to gain access to the money there. The BJP is following the same pattern in every state," Tagore said.
His remarks come as the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple continues.
On Saturday, police sources said the Ayodhya Police had obtained court permission to interrogate five accused currently lodged in jail in connection with the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case.
The accused - Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav - are scheduled to be questioned inside the jail premises, with their statements to be formally recorded. Investigators may later seek their custody for further interrogation based on the findings of the questioning, police sources added.
Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Sant Mandal has extended its support to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, urging the Trust not to accept his resignation amid the controversy.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the saints said they had known Champat Rai for years and described him as an honest and dedicated individual. They maintained that the allegations circulating against him were baseless and appreciated his decision to seek a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter.
The Uttar Pradesh government has granted the SIT a 15-day extension to widen the scope of its investigation and conduct a comprehensive inquiry into all aspects of the alleged embezzlement. A meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is also scheduled for July 6 as the probe continues. (ANI)
