Jai Shree Ram
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The recent revelations concerning the construction of the Ram Temple and its administration, the very issue that the Sangh Parivar used as a powerful weapon after keeping the entire Indian nation on edge for three decades through communal polarisation and religious hatred, eventually capturing power at the Centre and in most states, are both shocking and expose the hidden agendas behind its hypocrisy and claims of devotion. The revelation of the fraud and mismanagement came after Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav stated that employees had embezzled Rs 200 crore from the treasury of the Ram temple, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amidst unprecedented preparations on January 22, 2024, and is managed by individuals considered close to Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and a prominent leader of the hardline Hindutva movement. Following the controversy, Yogi Adityanath was compelled to appoint a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. As soon as the SIT began its investigation, more details about the fraud and mismanagement started emerging. The first major allegation to surface was that there is currently no trace of the 60 kilograms of silver bars collected and donated by the Jewellers’ Association during the consecration ceremony. It has also been said that idols of Lord Ram made of gold, silver, and diamonds have been taken away by unknown persons. Another irregularity involves the purchase of land worth ₹3 crore for ₹24 crore. In another case, land reportedly valued at only ₹9 crore was transacted for ₹24 crore.
A businessman from Mumbai, Anil Vishwakarma, and his family donated three kilograms of silver, along with silver-made sandals (padukas) and a garland, as offerings in October last year. The temple authorities assured Anil Sharma that the receipt for the donation and photographs of the Ram idol being adorned with the silver garland would be sent later. Even after eight months, when neither the receipt nor the photographs were received, an inquiry was made, and it was discovered that everything had been taken away by those in charge. It is claimed that the administration of the Ram Temple is being handled by the team of Champat Rai, an RSS–VHP leader who played a role in leading the demolition of the Babri Masjid. When the SIT investigation appeared to be closing in on him, CM Adityanath attempted to protect the accused by all possible means. Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath, who declares that “truth will prevail,” has accused people like Akhilesh Yadav, who, according to him, have never found time to visit the Ram Temple, of being the ones creating problems. Although the preliminary report of the SIT has been submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government, an objective and comprehensive report is still awaited. Those close to the authorities are being protected while some employees are being made scapegoats. The nature of the final report, therefore, is not expected to come as a surprise. While no figures have been released yet on the numbers collected after L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra, which was conducted to polarise the people of the country ahead of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has revealed that Rs 5,000 crore has been misused after the completion of the temple construction. In short, one is forced to believe that the old saying — “The lamp post is a great wonder; I too want money” — has come true in the case of the construction and subsequent maintenance of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
It would surprise any one only if things were otherwise. The motivation was not selfless devotion to Lord Ram or idealistic dreams about a Ram Rajya, but rather the intense propaganda that the 450-year-old Babri Masjid in Faizabad was actually Ayodhya and that it was the birthplace of Lord Ram. The construction and administration of the Ram Temple, along with the related activities of the Modi–Amit Shah–Adityanath leadership, represent the aftermath of a decades-long campaign that turned the faith and religious practices of the majority community into commodities for profit and a means of achieving power. If there are people among India’s 1.4 billion citizens who are genuinely committed to the sentiments of true devotees of Lord Ram, while working peacefully for a country founded on equality and justice, they must come forward and work against the exploitation of faith, politics based on hatred, and governance tainted by corruption. Only then can the country be saved. Only such people have the moral right to sincerely chant, “Jai Shri Ram.”
