Big scam by Ram Temple Trust; Supreme Court must take cognisance: Congress on alleged Ayodhya land deal fraud

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stated that facts have come to light to a "big scam" in funds collected from devotees and this amounts to committing a big sin and wrongdoing. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who formed the Trust on the directions of the Supreme Court, is totally 'silent'.

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday (June 14) alleged corruption in purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the charge. The party also alleged that it was a "big scam" committed using funds collected from devotees and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer whether those behind it had his protection. Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged at a press conference that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had purchased "12,080 square metres of land" at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore. The land was purchased by the temple's trust at Rs 18.5 crore on March 18, and according to land deeds, only a few minutes earlier on the same day Kusum Phatak had sold it for Rs 2 crore to Ravi Tiwari and Sultan Ansari from whom the trust bought the land, he claimed.