D Raja seeks judicial probe, CAG audit into donations ‘theft’ at Ram temple

New Delhi, July 6 (PTI) CPI general secretary D Raja on Monday sought a judicial probe and a CAG audit into the donations theft row at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying the truth must come out and accountability be fixed. In a post on X, Raja said the controversy “underlines the urgent need to save temples across the country from the control of the RSS and the Sangh Parivar”. “For decades, the Sangh Parivar has been collecting donations in the name of Lord Ram to fill its coffers. The faith of millions cannot be allowed to become a source of political influence or financial abuse,” Raja said. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of Champat Rai as its general secretary and Anil Mishra as its member in the wake of the donation theft row. Raja, however, said that accepting the resignations of Rai and Mishra was “not enough”. “There must be a judicial probe; the CCTV footage should be made public, and the entire affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust should be subjected to a CAG audit. The truth must come out and accountability must be ensured,” the CPI leader said. At its meeting on Monday, the first after the donations theft row erupted, the Trust named trustee Krishna Mohan as its interim general secretary. It also announced the formation of a three-member committee to identify a chief executive officer for the temple trust, comprising retired judge Pramod Kohli, retired lieutenant general Vishnukant Chaturvedi and trustee Suresh Haware. The controversy erupted on June 7 after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, a charge then rejected by Champat Rai, who said, “Nothing noteworthy came to light during the ongoing internal audit”. Based on the preliminary report submitted by an SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, eight people associated with counting cash and valuables received as donations at the Ram temple were arrested. Rai later resigned as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. PTI AO ARI ARI