Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 3 : All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson and Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Thursday alleged that the Centre had removed the members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as a “damage-control” exercise following public anger over alleged financial irregularities in the temple trust.
Speaking to ANI in Shimla, Rathore said the government had earlier given a clean chit to the then CEO and other trustees but subsequently removed them in view of the public backlash.
He alleged that the decision to remove the trust members amounted to an indirect admission by the government that there had been wrongdoing in the management of temple donations.
“Although the government had given a clean chit to the then CEO and the trustees, they were removed from their positions after seeing the public anger. This clearly shows that the government accepted, indirectly, that there was misuse of temple donations,” Rathore said.
Rathore said the issue was directly linked to the faith of devotees of Lord Ram, who had contributed towards the construction of the Ram temple with the expectation that the project would be carried out transparently.
He alleged that the controversy had caused widespread anger because the present government had risen to power amid the political movement surrounding the Ram temple.
“The people of the country, every person with faith in the religion, contributed with the belief that a grand temple would be built. When allegations of misuse and systematic embezzlement of money came to light, anger developed against the government and the CEO and trustees appointed by it,” he said.
Rathore, however, said it was too early to assess the functioning of the newly appointed members of the trust. Referring to the appointment of former Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as CEO, he said, “He is a former Army officer, so we can hope that some things will be set right.”
The Congress MLA also criticised the Centre over official economic figures, alleging that the government was presenting exaggerated data to divert public attention from the country's economic situation.
“I completely agree with that statement because these figures are merely an attempt to mislead people. The reality is different. The figures are being exaggerated,” Rathore said.
He claimed that the country's economic condition was not satisfactory and cited remarks attributed to the husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who, he said, had spoken on record about the deteriorating economic situation.
Rathore alleged that the government was using economic figures to shift attention away from problems confronting ordinary people.
Rathore also targeted the Centre over inflation and rising prices of essential commodities, saying food items had become increasingly expensive.
He particularly criticised the government's ethanol-blending policy and the E20 petrol rollout, saying consumers had not benefited from the policy through lower fuel prices.
“When ethanol was to be blended with petrol, it was said that prices would come down. But prices have remained the same. If you look at international crude oil prices, they have not increased significantly, but petrol prices remain unchanged,” he said.
Rathore questioned the use of sugarcane for ethanol production, arguing that it had contributed to an increase in sugar prices.
He said the rising cost of essential commodities was particularly burdensome with the festival season underway.
“The festivals have already started. The government has made the common people's lives difficult by making everything expensive. They will not make things sweeter,” he said.
Rathore alleged that the Centre's economic policies were aimed primarily at benefiting “capitalist friends” rather than providing relief to ordinary citizens.
“This itself indicates that this government has no economic policy. The government is only trying to help its capitalist friends,” the Congress MLA said.