In a letter, a copy of which has been sent to CM Yogi Adityanath, Mahant Paranhans Das alleged that an organisation formed by Mahant Janmejay Sharan of Janki Ghat, and several other such outfits had been cheating the devotees of Hindu deity Ram. Mahant Paramhans Das of Tapasvi Chhawani in Ayodhya has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that several organisations formed in the name of the Ramjanmbhoomi temple movement had collected a large sum from devotees over the last several decades and were continuing to do so.
In the letter, a copy of which has been sent to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Ayodhya District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha, Das alleged that an organisation formed by Mahant Janmejay Sharan of Janki Ghat, and several other such outfits had been cheating the devotees of Hindu deity Ram. He urged Shah and Adityanath to ensure that the amount collected by these organisations is transferred to the Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has been formed to facilitate the construction of the Ayodhya Ram temple.
“I have written a letter to the Home Minister asking that those who formed Trusts in the name of Ram temple and collected donations, there should be a proper inquiry and that money should be given to the official Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. I have given an example of Mahant Janmejay Sharan who formed the ‘Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir Nirman Nyas Trust’ and collected a lot of money in the name of the Ram temple. There was one formed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, headed by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, but after a formal Trust was formed based on the Supreme Court decision, the same people came to that Trust,” Das said on Monday.
He added, “Things like this put a question mark on the reliability and intention of saints and mahants, and that is why all those who have taken money in the name of Lord Ram must ensure it is used in temple construction.”
The religious leader claimed he had once asked the authorities about the money collected by the now-defunct Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas, which was formed in 1993 to promote and oversee the construction of the temple, and was told that it was used to fund the work of bringing in stones to be used for building the temple, carving them, and their safekeeping.
Sharan told The Indian Express he had formed the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir Nirman Nyas and got it registered in 2008 but denied all the allegations levelled by Das.
He added, “He [Das] has been provoked by some of my enemies and rivals, and he is being used as a weapon against me. It’s a conspiracy against me. There has been no collection in the name of Ram temple. We have not asked anyone for money, we have not given anyone any receipt. The allegations against me are baseless. Yes, we got the ‘Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir Nirman Nyas’ registered in 2008, but it was not formed to collect any money. The main aim of the Trust was to provide every possible help in ensuring a temple is constructed. That aim is completed now.”
A row over the temple construction had erupted last February too, days after the formation of the Teerth Kshetra Trust. The Ramalaya Trust of Shankaracharya Swami Shree Swaroopanand Saraswati had started a campaign to collect 1,008 kg gold from seven lakh villages across India to build a 25-ft “Swarnalaya Shri Ram Lalla” for the deity’s idol.
Members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust objected, calling the drive unnecessary and illegal. Nirmohi Akhara’s Mahant Dinendra Das said the Teerth Kshetra Trust had been formed following the Supreme Court’s order and no other organisation was needed to build the temple.
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