The political confrontation over the alleged misappropriation of Ram Mandir donations has intensified, with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) throwing the challenge back at Opposition leaders who have accused the temple authorities of financial irregularities. The VHP has now said that if the Opposition has evidence to support its allegations, it should place it before investigators instead of making public claims. The latest escalation comes after VHP International President Alok Kumar wrote to the Investigation Officer handling the alleged Ram Temple embezzlement case, urging verification of allegations made by several Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav.Speaking to news agency IANS, Alok Kumar said the leaders named in his letter occupy influential positions and suggested that if they have made such serious allegations, they should be able to substantiate them before investigators.“The people regarding whom (I have) written are influential individuals, holding senior positions; that is why I considered that whatever they have said, especially in the public domain, might have some basis and they might have knowledge about the facts of the case.”Responding to the Opposition’s allegation that “more than Rs 20,000 crore are missing” from donations made to the Ram Temple, Kumar rejected the claim and said the figure itself did not match the temple’s records.“According to the information received by us, such amount was not even received.”He specifically referred to Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav’s remarks and said investigators should seek details from him if he possesses information supporting the allegation.“Since (Samajwadi Party leader) Professor Ram Gopal Yadav is saying this…if police questions him that how did he mention such a huge figure, who provided him with the information, does he have any supporting documents (to prove the allegations), then Ram Gopal ji should be able to convey it to the investigators,” he added.“This will assist the investigation,” he asserted.Referring to similar allegations made by Priyanka Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, the VHP chief said the accusations involved claims that large amounts of temple donations had been stolen.“It has been alleged that offerings worth crores of rupees (have been stolen).”Kumar, however, maintained that he was not accusing the Opposition leaders of wrongdoing. Instead, he said investigators should seek their assistance if they possess information relevant to the case.“I have just said that the investigators should take their help (leaders) since they know about a lot of things that even we are not aware of.”The remarks come amid a continuing political row over the alleged financial irregularities linked to the Ram Temple Trust, with the Opposition stepping up its attacks and the VHP defending the institution while insisting that the investigation should establish the facts.Asked why the VHP’s annual meeting was shifted from Ayodhya to Delhi, Kumar said the decision was taken because of logistical reasons during the ongoing investigation.“The meeting was initially postponed and will now be held in Delhi,” he said.On Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav‘s criticism of the BJP leadership over the controversy, Kumar said the Uttar Pradesh government had already committed itself to uncovering the truth.“Actions are more important than words. The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, through its Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has promised to bring out the truth.”“I believe the government is doing whatever is expected from it,” he added.
