Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 13: Senior Congress leader and AICC Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera on Monday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged financial irregularities and misappropriation of donations linked to the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust.

Addressing a press conference at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Khera alleged that large-scale financial misconduct had taken place in connection with the construction and management of the temple and questioned the silence of the BJP and the RSS over the allegations.

He said the Ram Temple Trust had been constituted under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and noted that while the BJP and the RSS had taken credit for the temple's construction, they had not responded to the corruption allegations that have since surfaced.

Khera claimed that engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) had offered to construct the temple without charging any fee, but the proposal was allegedly turned down and the project was completed at a reported cost of around Rs 2,100 crore.

He also alleged that substantial expenditure had been shown for the construction of a cow shelter despite the absence of such a facility at the temple complex.

The Congress leader further claimed that the RSS and the BJP had collected donations over several decades in the name of constructing the Ram Temple but had failed to present a transparent account of the funds received and spent. He also questioned the source of funding used for the construction of the organisations' headquarters in Delhi.

Referring to statements allegedly made by Swami Avimukteshwaranand and several Shankaracharyas, Khera claimed that concerns had been raised over the functioning of the temple trust, adding that some religious leaders had chosen not to visit the temple.

Calling for an independent inquiry, he said the existing Special Investigation Team (SIT) did not enjoy sufficient public confidence. He urged that the probe be conducted under the supervision of a sitting Supreme Court judge and include forensic and digital audits of donations, financial records and land transactions linked to the temple.

Khera also questioned the whereabouts of 200 kilograms of silver reportedly donated to the temple and sought a detailed accounting of the donation.

He demanded the dissolution of the present temple trust, alleging that it was dominated by RSS members, and proposed the formation of a new trust comprising devotees and prominent Shankaracharyas to oversee the temple's administration.

Responding to criticism from the BJP over Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi's absence from the Wayanad disaster site, Khera said the ruling party would have criticised her even if she had visited, alleging that it would have accused her of interfering with rescue operations.