Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], July 13 : Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Monday alleged that the BJP and RSS are engaging in "theft of votes" on one hand and "theft of public donations" on the other hand. His remarks came amid allegations of theft of public donations received at Ram Mandir.
"Our Leader of the Opposition, Dr Charan Das Mahant, moved an adjournment motion regarding the theft of donations and offerings meant for the Ayodhya Ram Teerth Kshetra. You may recall the 'Ramshila Puja' events; members of the BJP and the RSS visited villages across the country and collected crores of rupees. To this day, there has been no accounting for that money. People donated again when the construction of the Ram Temple began following the Supreme Court's order. Lakhs of people from Chhattisgarh contributed crores in donations; however, complaints have surfaced regarding the construction work itself, specifically allegations that a 40% commission was taken," he told reporters here.
The Congress leader said that he had also contributed to the construction of Ram Mandir.
"In the House, I was asked if I, Bhupesh Baghel, had also made a donation. I replied, yes, I did, and the amount was Rs 1,21,000. Like me, lakhs of people contributed to the construction... That is why we are demanding a discussion in the House. The BJP, RSS, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are not even sparing Lord Ram, engaging in the theft of votes on one hand and the theft of religious offerings on the other. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its people are doing this."
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust seeking response on pleas seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohan also directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to place a status report before it. The Court has sought details on the composition of the SIT. .