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Ahead of the Parliament monsoon session beginning Monday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala submitted a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of the day's business in the Rajya Sabha to hold an urgent discussion on the alleged embezzlement and misuse of donations made to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, while seeking to fix accountability of the government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
In his notice addressed to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General, Surjewala urged that all scheduled business of the House be suspended to take up what he described as a matter of "urgent public importance." He alleged that the issue involved "theft, loot and embezzlement" of donations made by crores of devotees and called for a detailed discussion to ensure accountability of both the government and the temple trust. Referring to the Supreme Court's November 9, 2019, verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, Surjewala noted that the Centre constituted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on February 5, 2020, following the court's directions. He said devotees had contributed thousands of crores of rupees, individually and collectively, towards the construction of the temple. The Congress MP alleged that several irregularities had surfaced in connection with the temple trust, including alleged financial irregularities in land purchases, alleged commissions during construction, alleged misappropriation of gold, silver and other valuable donations, and alleged corruption in expenditure incurred for various events organised by the trust. He claimed that a comprehensive and impartial probe could bring out more instances of alleged irregularities. Surjewala also questioned the handling of the matter by the authorities, alleging that despite the seriousness of the accusations, earlier investigations had not reached a conclusion and accountability had not been fixed. He said the trust was constituted by the government under the Supreme Court's directions and, therefore, both the government and the trust were responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability. The notice has been moved under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), which allows a member to seek suspension of the House's listed business to discuss a matter of urgent public importance. (ANI)
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