Funds for Ram temple: Cong wary of BJP’s gain

WARY OF the BJP leveraging the ongoing door-to-door drive to collect donations for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya for political gains, the Congress on Friday questioned the involvement of the ruling party and RSS workers in the process.

In Maharashtra, where it is sharing power with the Shiv Sena and the NCP, the Congress appealed to all donors to directly deposit their donations with the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust, which is already conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign for the temple construction work in Ayodhya.

Maharashtra Congress leader and party spokesperson Sachin Sawant demanded an inquiry by the state government into the funds being garnered by the BJP for this purpose.

Just as Sawant cited past complaints raised by a section of Hindutva outfits, including the Nirmohi Akhada, over fund-collection drives organised by the BJP-affiliated outfits, party sources said the apprehensions that the BJP will use the drive to consolidate its own Hindu vote was behind the Congress’s latest complaint.