New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ‘Chanda-Chori’ (theft of offerings) at Ayodhya Shri Ram Mandir, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday pointed out that it seems the Prime Minister was protecting those responsible despite the revelations of scam in land transactions, commission in construction and ‘chanda-chori’ that have surfaced over the past few years. During his Goa visit, he asserted that the sequence of events raised serious questions over accountability, as the Shri Ram Mandir Trust had been constituted by the Prime Minister, who had also chosen its members and appointed Champat Rai to head it.
The AAP Chief further asserted that the resignations, arrests, a weak Special Investigation Team (SIT) and First Information Report (FIR) in the case were merely cosmetic measures designed to create the appearance of action, while the big and powerful people behind the scam continued to be shielded.
Addressing a press conference alongside AAP Goa In-charge Atishi, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “The people of Goa are deeply religious. When Prabhu Shri Ram Mandir was built, Hindus in Goa donated generously and with complete devotion. But now that reports of scam and ‘chanda-chori’ at the Shri Ram Mandir are emerging, Sanatan followers across Goa are deeply hurt. It is being reported that Prabhu Shri Ram’s necklace, padukas and ornaments have been stolen.”
He pointed out, “Devotees had offered diamonds and precious stones with deep faith, and those too have gone missing. Someone had donated 200 kg of silver bricks, which have also disappeared. Silver lamps have been stolen, and ₹200 crore in cash has gone missing. With every new revelation, people’s faith is being hurt even more.”
Tracing the issue back to the land transactions, the AAP Supremo continued, “This did not begin now. It began in 2021 with a massive land scam. Hundreds of crores of rupees were collected from people across the country for the construction of the mandir, and the 2021 land deals are one example of how that money was siphoned off. A Pathak family in Ayodhya sold a piece of land to a leader of their party for ₹2 crore. Within 10 minutes, that same leader sold the land to the Mandir Trust for ₹18 crore. Clearly, ₹16 crore of the donations made by devotees for the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir was siphoned off.”
Arvind Kejriwal added, “This matter was widely reported in the media at the time and was known to everyone. Similarly, land worth ₹3 crore was purchased by the Trust for ₹24 crore, another plot worth ₹9 crore was bought for ₹55 crore, and land worth ₹14 crore was acquired for ₹95 crore. The documents relating to these transactions are in the public domain. They bought land worth ₹1 for ₹10 and siphoned off donations collected for the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir.”
Referring to the construction phase, he asserted, “When construction began, engineers testified on record that a 40% commission was being demanded on every tender. Now it is emerging that offerings were also being stolen. CCTV footage has revealed evidence of ‘chanda-chori’ 70 times within 40 days. People can be seen stealing in the CCTV footage on 70 occasions, and eight months of CCTV footage has been deleted. Whatever has come to light is only a small glimpse. Nobody knows how much more has been stolen.”
Questioning the response to the revelations, the AAP Chief said, “The biggest question in the minds of every Ram ‘bhakt’, every Hindu and every Sanatani is whether the ‘chanda-chors’ will be punished. Will the big names involved be caught? It does not appear so, because ever since this matter came to light, every effort has been made to suppress it, destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses. The entire case is being covered up.”
Targeting the Prime Minister’s response, Arvind Kejriwal revealed, “Television anchors say that PM Modi will spare no one and ensure that the powerful are punished. They claim that he was unaware of all this until recently. But people are not willing to believe that. They are convinced that the Prime Minister knew everything. PM Modi himself constituted the Trust, and every member of it is his own chosen person. Champat Rai is PM Modi’s close associate, whom he made the head of the mandir. All the authority and management rested with Champat Rai. Nothing could move in the mandir without his approval.”
He continued, “Those claiming PM Modi knew nothing should answer how such events continued for so long without his knowledge. Land bought for ₹2 crore was sold for ₹18 crore, and it was reported in the media. Did PM Modi not know? Land worth ₹3 crore was purchased for ₹24 crore, land worth ₹14 crore was bought for ₹95 crore, and all the documents are publicly available. Did PM Modi still not know? A 40% commission was demanded in construction, ‘chanda-chori’ kept happening, 200 kg of silver bricks disappeared, Bhagwan’s necklace, padukas and precious ornaments vanished, 70 thefts were recorded on CCTV within 40 days, and eight months of footage was deleted. Did PM Modi still not know?”
Raising further questions, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “There is also a representative of the Central Government on the Trust. Did that person also tell PM Modi nothing? The Prime Minister knows which voter belongs to which party at every booth across the country and whose vote should be deleted or added during the SIR process. But are we expected to believe that he knew nothing about the theft of donations made to Prabhu Shri Ram? That is simply not possible. He knew everything.”
The AAP Supremo said, “We have learnt from sources that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) submitted 12 reports to PM Modi regarding the ‘chanda-chori’ at the Shri Ram Mandir. Yet no action was taken. He was only protecting his own people. We are not saying that the money reached PM Modi. We have no evidence for that and we are making no such allegation. But the sequence of events shows that PM Modi has been actively trying to shield his people and bury the entire matter.”
Questioning the constitution of the Special Investigation Team, Arvind Kejriwal said, “When the matter became impossible to suppress, they formed a weak SIT. I understand the law and have worked in the Income Tax Department. An SIT cannot legally be constituted without an FIR. This SIT is illegal and has no powers. It cannot arrest anyone, conduct raids or even issue summons.”
He added, “After the SIT was formed, when AAP MP Sanjay Singh submitted documents relating to the land scam, the SIT replied that investigating land transactions was outside its jurisdiction. Then what exactly are its powers? If it is not investigating the land scam or the construction scam, what is it investigating? They had also formed an SIT when the land scam surfaced in 2021. Nobody knows what happened to that SIT. There was no FIR, no arrest and no action. That SIT passed with time, and this one will meet the same fate. This is merely an attempt to mislead the public. They know people’s memories are short, so they will keep extending the investigation every 15 days until this SIT also quietly disappears.”
Referring to the arrests, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “They have now registered a ‘farzi’ (fake) FIR and arrested eight low-level employees who merely counted cash. ₹200 crore in cash has gone missing, yet recoveries total only ₹80 lakh. Even then they are congratulating themselves and claiming PM Modi has taken action. The most surprising part is that when someone is arrested, the police normally seek custody to question them about where the theft took place and where the money has been hidden. In this case, the police sought no custody, conducted no interrogation and sent them straight to judicial custody. Those eight small employees have apparently been assured not to worry because they will secure bail within a few days.”
Speaking about the Trust, he said, “Two people, including Champat Rai, have resigned. But reports from Ayodhya continue to say that Champat Rai is still running the mandir. That is why these resignations, arrests and FIRs are all a sham. PM Modi is trying to bury the entire matter.”
Arvind Kejriwal further stated, “A statement has come from BJP strongman Brij Bhushan Singh saying he will not speak because very powerful people are involved and speaking out could harm him as well. Baba Bageshwar Dham has also said that if he reveals the real names, they will not spare him and will eliminate him. If such big names are involved, why are their names not coming out? Why have there been no FIRs, arrests or action by the CBI or ED against them? Today the entire country wants to know which powerful people the Prime Minister is protecting and why.”
Concluding the press conference, the AAP Chief said, “These people have no faith in Prabhu Shri Ram. They do not believe in Prabhu Shri Ram and do not seek His blessings. If they truly believed Prabhu Shri Ram was God, they would never do ‘chadhava-chori’. They would fear ‘paap’ and the consequences of their actions. They have no such fear because they see Prabhu Shri Ram only as a stone idol. They need Prabhu Shri Ram and His name only for votes and money.”
Arvind Kejriwal added, “People will be surprised to know that Amit Shah has never visited the Shri Ram Mandir for ‘darshan’. It has been two and a half years since the mandir was inaugurated, yet he has not gone there even once. During the same period, however, he has referred to Prabhu Shri Ram and the Shri Ram Mandir 42 times in his speeches and interviews. They seek votes in the name of ‘Ram’ but have no time for ‘darshan’.”
“The sentiments of crores of people across the country have been deeply hurt, yet these people are not going to act. Every Hindu and every Sanatani must raise their voice against this. I pray to Prabhu Shri Ram not to spare these sinners and to give them the harshest possible punishment,” the AAP Supremo concluded.
