|
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that irregularities in temple administration are not isolated incidents but a widespread phenomenon across major religious sites under the party's influence.
Addressing the media following recent corruption concerns involving the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), Raut asserted that the mismanagement extends beyond one location. "It is not limited to one temple now. Irregularities can be seen everywhere from Badrinath to Somnath to Ayodhya, where there is a hold of the BJP," Raut stated. Raut further took aim at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, drawing a parallel between the administrative culture there and the controversies surrounding other temple bodies. In a sharp jab at the trust's general secretary, Raut remarked, "In the Ram Mandir Trust, everybody is 'Champat Rai'." Beyond the allegations of financial impropriety, Raut accused the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and BJP of having sought to monopolise religious devotion to Lord Ram for political gain. "VHP, RSS and BJP think they are the only Ram Bhakts. Lord Ram is not confined to one political party. Are we not Ram Bhakts? Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee are they not Ram Bhakts?" he questioned. This comes after a criminal case has been registered against Pramod Nautiyal, a Personal Assistant in the Office of the Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), following allegations of illegal diversion of temple offerings. The FIR was lodged at the Badrinath Police Station under Sections 306 and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The complaint, filed by the BKTC, accused Nautiyal of unlawfully misappropriating temple funds for personal gain. The allegations stem from an incident on July 2, during the counting of offerings from the Thali Bhent (donation plate). A preliminary inquiry by the committee established that temple funds were surreptitiously removed from the donation counting centre during a 30-minute window between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Following these prima facie findings, the BKTC moved to suspend Nautiyal from his position before pursuing formal legal action. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident as they look to secure the integrity of the temple's donation process. On the other hand, police have detained and questioned the uncle of jailed accused Anukalp Mishra and a jeweller from Inayatnagar market in connection with the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case, police sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, Ramendra Mishra, the uncle of Anukalp Mishra, and the jeweller were questioned as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of temple donations. Earlier in the day, a police team took three accused from the Ayodhya District Jail for custodial interrogation after a local court granted one day of police custody in the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case. The accused - Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra and Karunesh Pandey - were escorted from the district jail to the Ayodhya Police Lines as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Temple.(ANI)
|
