Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 13 : Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday demanded a public apology after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar expressed "grief" over reported irregularities in the counting of donation offerings at the Ram Temple, stating, "Ask them to apologise in public. They are experts in asking for forgiveness."
Addressing the media, he challenged RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to get the RSS registered, asking him to throw the documents at his face to shut him up.
"Ask them to apologise in public. They are experts in asking for forgiveness. This is their history, right? Savarkar said sorry so many times. Tell them to say it once, too. The people who were jailed were from the VHP, right? With whom are they officially associated? Who is the founder of VHP? What is the point in apologising in their echo chamber? Everything else you want to do in public, and also (Mohan Bhagwat) declares how much he has got. Tell him to throw the documents at my face and shut me up. Get RSS registered, my mouth will be shut," he said.
This comes after Ambekar said that the RSS expects that ongoing police and Special Investigation Team (SIT) actions will lead to a "decisive turn"
Speaking at the conclusion of the annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak of RSS in Belagavi, Karnataka, he emphasised the importance of preventing any future incidents that might hurt the "reverence and the deep faith" of devotees.
"The annual Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak of RSS concluded today in Belagavi, Karnataka. In the meeting, everyone expressed grief over the incident of irregularities in the counting of the donation box offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir and expressed confidence that the ongoing SIT and police action initiated at the request of Teerth Kshetra Nyas will reach a decisive turn. It was expected of Teerth Kshetra Nyas to ensure that no such incident happens in future which could hurt the reverence and the deep faith of all Ram bhaktas towards the Ram Mandir," he said.
Meanwhile, the alleged embezzlement has triggered a heated political row in Uttar Pradesh, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continuing its probe into the irregularities.
A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) pointed towards serious security lapses in the counting room of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, stating that staff here allegedly concealed wads of cash in their clothes, pockets, shoes, and other personal belongings and suggested that the alleged theft was "systematic" and repeated, rather than being isolated incidents.
According to the SIT, CCTV footage reviewed between April 27 and June 5 captured around 70 suspicious incidents of counting staff allegedly seen concealing cash bundles.