Siddaramaiah wants account of donations made for Ram Mandir, claims BJP is 'using God'

Congress leader Siddaramaiah claimed that BJP was playing with the emotions of the people in the name of God as he once again targeted the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Saturday. As the fundraising for the construction of the Ram Temple continues, the former Karnataka CM demanded to know the accounts and audit and claimed it was the duty of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust to give an account of the donations it has received so far. Further, the Congress leader said that religion should not be used as a political tool while alleging that the BJP did so for political benefits. Siddaramaiah claimed that a Ram temple was being constructed in his native village and that even they possessed faith in God. 

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Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had lashed out at the opposition for casting aspersions on the donation drive for Ayodhya Ram Mandir. In a public rally in Shivamoga, Yediyurappa hit out at former chief ministers Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah, saying that the donation for Ram Mandir is voluntary and not mandatory. "No one is compelled to donate for Ram Temple," said the chief minister. Yediyurappa's remark has come a day after the former chief ministers questioned the authenticity of the Ram Mandir donation drive.

"Can you account on the money now being collected? Previously they had raised money for bricks, but they threw the bricks and pocketed the money.  They don't give any account for the amount of money that has been collected for the Ram Mandir," Siddaramaiah had said earlier. 

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Donation drive for Ram Mandir

Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust which is overseeing the construction of Ayodhya Ram Mandir is conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya. The Trust was set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict on November 9, 2021, for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. The Trust announced in December that it will launch a mass contact and contribution campaign which began on January 15 and is said to go on till February 27. The trust had printed 4 crore coupons of Rs 10 denomination, 8 crore coupons of Rs 100 and 12 lakhs coupons of Rs 1,000 denomination for the donation drive. the Trust said nearly 4 lakh volunteers will cover 55 crore people (11 crore families) in 5 lakh villages during the campaign. The trust's treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri revealed that Rs.1511 crore has been deposited in its account so far. President Ram Nath Kovind has also donated Rs Five lakh in his personal capacity for the construction of the temple.

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