JOIN USSpeculations rife about Ram Temple Trust reshuffle as RSS concerned over allegations of corruption in land purchase
Speculations were rife about a reshuffle in the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which was overseeing the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, following allegations of irregularities against its general secretary Champat Rai in the purchase of land in the temple town.
The speculations gained ground after Rai met senior RSS functionaries in Chitrakoot, where a meeting of the Sangh was going on, reportedly to put forth his side of the story with regard to the allegations.
According to the sources, Rai was summoned by the RSS leadership to 'explain' the matter. Rai reportedly claimed innocence and explained to the RSS leaders that more land was needed for the expansion of the proposed Ram Temple and that there were no irregularities in the land purchase.
Sources also said that RSS leaders expressed serious concern over the allegations as they felt they could 'hurt' the sentiments of the Hindus.
The Sangh leadership, however, was in a dilemma over removing Rai barely months ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, which are due to be held early next year as it could tantamount to accepting the allegations. The opposition parties could also then sharpen their attacks on the BJP and the Trust, it felt.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have accused Rai of purchasing a piece of land worth Rs two crore for a whopping Rs 18.5 crore.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and SP leader Tej Narayan Pandey had claimed that the price of the land in question, which was at Bagh Bijaisi area in Ayodhya town, had shot up from Rs two crore to Rs 18.5 crore within a span of ten minutes.
''The land was first registered in the names of two people for Rs two crore.....ten minutes later the Trust bought the land from them for Rs 18 crore and the registry was also done the same day," Singh had alleged.
Incidentally. in both the registrations, the witnesses were the same people. They were Trust member Anil Mishra and the Mayor of Ayodhya Rishikesh Upadhyaya.
The two leaders demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Rai, however, rejected the allegations and said that the land was purchased below the market value. ''It's a political conspiracy to malign the Trust....we have a record of everything,'' he had claimed.
The Trust has been on a land-buying spree ever since it was entrusted with the task of constructing the Ram Temple. The central government had allotted 70 acres of land for the Temple.
The Trust later decided to expand the area of the Temple and purchased several temples adjacent to the Ram Janambhoomi.