The FIR in the Ram temple donation theft case and claims that Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai had resigned have prompted the Opposition to demand a judicial probe, amid suspicions that the kingpins were being shielded.
The Congress demanded that the Centre-appointed trust be replaced with a body that only includes Hindu priests.
Party MP Rajeev Shukla said: “The Congress’s first demand is that it should be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The second demand is that this trust be dissolved and all those religious leaders, shankaracharyas, sages, and saints in Ayodhya who have been involved with the Ram temple since its inception and are in favour of the shrine should be involved in a trust to ensure that it is not political.”
He told reporters here: “Why are people from the BJP and RSS involved in it?... All these political people should be removed and religious people should be included…. And the third demand is related to our honourable Prime Minister — he should immediately intervene in this matter and take action.”
On the buzz over Rai’s resignation, Shukla said: “Simply taking Champat Rai’s resignation and trying to cover up the entire issue will not work. Did all this happen only because of Champat Rai? He is responsible because he was the administrator there, but for years, such large-scale embezzlement, scams, theft
of donations, and theft of offerings have allegedly been going on.”
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal told reporters in Ayodhya on Friday: “The FIR is merely an eyewash. Only eight junior employees have been arrested. It is obvious that a scam of this magnitude, which continued for so long, could not have been carried out by junior employees alone…. The real culprits are being protected, while
junior employees are being made scapegoats.”
CPI general secretary D. Raja said on X: “...FIRs must also be registered against the senior functionaries of the Trust whose accountability cannot end with resignations. Fresh reports are emerging every day of devotees donating large quantities of gold,
silver and cash without receiving receipts.”