Hindu Seers' tussle for Ram Temple trust turns ugly

The tussle among the Hindu seers over the proposed Trust for the construction of the Ram temple turned ugly when an Ayodhya-based saint alleged that he faced threat to his life from Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Nritya Gopal Das and sought security from the government.

What made the tussle murkier was the alleged audio of the conversation between former BJP MP and Hindu seer Ramvilas Vedanti and another saint in which the former was heard saying that he wanted to head the proposed Trust and apprehending that the Goraksh Peeth (UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the Mahant of the Peeth) was also interested in the same.

The audio clip that went viral on the social networking sites had Vedanti asking Paramhans to "float" his (Vedanti) name for the post of chairman of the proposed Ram temple trust. He was also heard telling Paramhans that Nritya Gopal Das wanted someone from the Goraksh Peeth to become the chairman of the new trust.

Meanwhile, Ayodhya-based Hindu seer Mahant Paramhans Das was briefly detained in the temple town on Thursday night for allegedly making objectionable comments on Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Nritya Gopal Das.

According to police sources, frenzied supporters of Nritya Gopal Das barged into the ashram of Paramhans in Ayodhya on Thursday in protest against his alleged remarks. The police had a tough time rescuing the Mahant. He was detained but released later, sources said.

"Nritya Gopal Das wants to kill me... the government should give me the security... I shall not return to Ayodhya until I feel safe," Paramhans said on Friday in a video message from an unknown place.

Many seers have asked Adityanath to join the proposed trust as a member. Several groups of seers have started vying for the proposed trust after the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya issue.