Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slams Cong on Ram Mandir land-grab claims: 'Toolkit gang at work'

A day after Congress demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter of alleged irregularity in the purchase of land at Ayodhya by the Ram Temple Trust, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed the grand-old party and said, 'toolkit gang at work.'

He tweeted, "When even those who do not believe in Lord Ram start worrying about the Ram temple, then understand that the toolkit gang is at work."

While addressing a virtual press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Monday called the alleged irregularity in the purchase of land a 'scam' and said, "the trust was established on the direction of the Supreme Court, the court should take cognizance of the issue and investigate the matter. The amount received as donations and expenses made by the trust should also be audited under the supervision of the Supreme Court." He added said that Congress however does not want construction work of the proposed Ram temple to be stopped. 

He also said, "Lord Ram, what kind of days are these? Scams are happening by taking donations in your name. Shameless robbers are intoxicated with arrogance like Ravana and are selling faith. Now it seems… Kans are ruling, Ravana is everywhere! The question is how the land bought for Rs 2 crore was sold after 10 minutes to 'Ram Janmabhoomi' for Rs 18.50 crores?".

On Sunday, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and SP's ex-MLA Pawan Pandey accused Champat Rai of buying a piece of land worth Rs 2 crore at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore for the Ram temple premises with help from Trust's member Anil Mishra. Both the leaders alleged that Rai purchased the land, measuring 1.208 hectares and located in Bag Bjaisi village under Sadar tehsil of Ayodhya district for a price of Rs 18.50 crore from the first purchaser, who had bought it minutes earlier on March 18 this year from its original owners for a sum of Rs two crores. Terming it a case of money laundering, Singh and Pandey both sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate into the land purchase for the temple premises.

Mandir Trust's fund campaign

The Ramjanmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust completed a 45-day fund drive for the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya raking in  Rs 2500 crores in donations. 10 crore households in 4 lakh villages had been approached by 9 lakh volunteers. Setting a 3-year deadline, VHP urged devotees to continue donating using the trust's website. The way for the Ram Mandir- a long-cherished BJP dream- was paved by the Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, when it pronounced a unanimous verdict, awarding the entire disputed area in Ayodhya to the Hindu parties. PM Modi did the Bhoomi Pujan, laying the foundation for the Ram Mandir on August 5, 2020.