‘Ram ko loota, desh ko loota’: Sibal attacks BJP over Ram Mandir donation case
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Monday took a pot shot at the BJP government with a poetic dig, urging people to vote out the ruling party and alleged that it had “looted” both, the country and Lord Ram.Amid the Ayodhya Ram Temple fund embezzlement row, the senior advocate took to X and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s “achhe din” slogan of 2014, calling it a “lie”. Sibal said, “Defeat this government, Ram ko loota, desh ko loota, achhe din ka nara jhootha” (They looted Lord Ram, they looted the country, and the promise of ‘achhe din’ turned out to be false).”Aise shasan ko tordein ge; Mil ke Desh ko jordein ge; Na dilon ka ho ga batwara; Sab ka Desh hai Desh hamara,” he further added, asserting that such governance must be defeated and that the country should be united without divisions. The Independent Rajya Sabha MP’s remarks come amid growing opposition criticism over the alleged embezzlement of donations collected at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Opposition parties have also questioned PM Modi’s silence on the issue and demanded stringent action against those responsible.The Congress has termed the alleged irregularities not merely a financial “scandal” but a “betrayal of faith”, arguing that the Ram Temple construction was projected by the BJP as a national movement and that devotees across the country had contributed to it. Earlier on June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after allegations of misappropriation of temple donations surfaced.The SIT comprises Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police Kiran S and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan.Based on the SIT’s findings, eight individuals: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav, were arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement. The accused were reportedly involved in counting cash and valuables donated at the Ram Temple.Earlie in the day, a local court in Ayodhya remanded all eight accused to 14 days’ judicial custody. The eight had earlier been remanded to three days’ judicial custody till Monday by a special remand magistrate.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declined to grant an urgent hearing on a petition seeking a CBI-led multi-agency probe into the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donation funds.Observing that “heavens are not going to fall” if the matter is heard after the court resumes regular functioning following the summer break, a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Sheel Nagu said the petition would be taken up during the week of July 12-17.The public interest litigation, filed by two advocates, sought a court-monitored investigation by the CBI and other agencies, arguing that the ongoing probe by the Uttar Pradesh Police did not inspire confidence and that crucial evidence was not being preserved properly.As part of the investigation, police have recorded the statement of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai. Statements of other senior trust officials, including trustee Anil Mishra, may also be recorded if required.
