NEW DELHI: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotirmath on Friday questioned the FIR registered in the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, alleging that only lower-level employees had been named while those responsible for the alleged larger wrongdoing had been “spared”.Addressing reporters in Sambhal during his ongoing ‘Gau Dharma Yatra’, the seer criticised the functioning of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and claimed that the temple’s affairs had not been managed in accordance with religious traditions.“What can one say about the theft of donations? From the very beginning, arbitrary decisions have been taken in the Ram temple. Neither the scriptures nor the Vedas nor the advice of religious leaders has been followed. The trust was constituted with people chosen by political leaders, while saints, seers and priests were kept away,” he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.He added that if fairness had been the objective, the trust could have been entrusted to the four Shankaracharyas, Ramanandacharya and other religious leaders instead of “trusted political associates”.
Questions FIR, says larger culprits untouched
Referring to the FIR in the alleged donation embezzlement case, Avimukteshwaranand claimed that those named were only involved in counting cash donations.“We have heard that the FIR has been registered against those who counted the currency notes. They merely straightened the notes, counted them and bundled them. Tell us about the larger theft that happened afterwards. A person engaged in counting notes, even if he were to steal, could at best take a few notes. Large-scale thefts are committed by influential people. There is no FIR against them,” he said.The remarks came after eight persons named in the FIR over the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations were arrested on Friday.The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Krishna Mohan, following recommendations made in the preliminary report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government.Nine people have been named as primary suspects in the case, along with several unidentified persons. The investigation is being conducted by the circle officer, Ayodhya.
Says opposition right to raise issue, targets BJP
The seer said the opposition had not raised the issue without reason.“If there was substance in the allegations, an FIR should have been registered on the very first day, even against unknown persons. The fact that an FIR has eventually been lodged after an inquiry itself shows that there was something to investigate. The opposition is only doing its duty by highlighting irregularities,” he said.Targeting the BJP, Avimukteshwaranand alleged that the party’s Hindutva was “fake” and described its members as “fake Hindus”.“The party may be genuine because it is registered with the Election Commission, but its Hindutva is not genuine. Those who do not follow the Vedas are fake Hindus. Real Hindus believe in the Vedas, scriptures and their gurus, while these people do not,” he said.His remarks come amid continuing political controversy over the alleged donation scam.Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust chief Champat Rai and trust member Anil Mishra resigned from their posts today after the controversy, taking moral responsibility, while all the accused named in the FIR have been arrested.
Speaks on Sambhal project, Gau Dharma Yatra
Avimukteshwaranand welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government’s initiative to restore ancient pilgrimage sites in Sambhal’s Kalki Nagari but criticised it over the demolition of temples in Varanasi, claiming history would judge the government harshly.He said he had been undertaking the ‘Gau Dharma Yatra’ since May 3, travelling through nearly 170 Assembly constituencies from Gorakhpur to encourage voters to support candidates committed to cow protection in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.Rejecting allegations that the campaign was intended to benefit any political party, he said anyone was free to derive political benefit from it.“The BJP can benefit the most if it declares the cow as ‘rajmata’, but it is not doing so. If any other party wants to take political benefit, we are not stopping them,” he said.The seer also urged voters to support “genuine” candidates committed to Sanatan Dharma, saying such an approach would eventually produce an alternative political leadership.