President Ram Nath Kovind donates Rs 5 lakh for Ram Mandir construction

As the fund-raising drive for the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya commences, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday donated Rs 5 lakh to a Vishwa Hindu Parishad-led (VHP) delegation at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

As per sources, VHP's international working president Alok Kumar, treasurer of the Ram Janmabhoomi teerth Kshetra trust Govind Dev Giri and former bureaucrat Nripendra Misra the head of the temple construction committee, were a part of the delegation that visited President Kovind to collect the donation for the grand temple in Ayodhya.

Read: RSS & BJP Slam Shiv Sena's Jibe On Ram Mandir Trust's Fund Drive, Term It An 'insult'

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Massive fund-raising drive for Ram Mandir

Last year, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust announced that it will launch a month-long mass contact and Contribution Campaign for the construction of the temple from January 15. Under this campaign, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has decided to reach out to nearly 55 crore people (11 crore families) in 5 lakh villages through 4 lakh volunteers. Asserting that the only domestic funds will be accepted, the trust has maintained that voluntary donations from Rambhakts will be accepted for which Coupons of ₹ 10, 100, and 1,000 will be available. The fundraising campaign which will start from January 14 will end on February 27.

However, weeks ahead of the Ram Temple donation drive, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut had stirred a controversy after he called Ram Janmabhoomi trust's fund campaign an 'insult to Lord Ram' as he was the 'King of Ayodhya'. Sanjay Raut stated that the Shiv Sena had contributed Rs 1 crore towards the temple's construction, asking 'who the 4 Lakh volunteers were campaigning for?'. The RSS and the BJP had come down heavily on Sena's remarks and had said that Raut likening donation to temple funds to 'charity', was an 'insult to Ram Bhakts'. 

The foundation of the Ram Mandir was laid in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August after the Supreme Court's historic verdict. The construction is expected to be completed in a span of 36-40 months.

Read: Ram Temple Fund-raising: VHP To Reach Out To 13 Crore Families

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