Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh donates ₹2 lakhs for Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh donated Rs 2 lakhs for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Wednesday. With this new development, Amarinder Singh becomes the latest political figure to contribute to the construction of the Ram temple as the drive for collecting funds led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad concluded. As per sources, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh made the Rs 2 lakh donations from his personal accounts. 

VHP: Ram Mandir Fund drive completed

Fund politics

The fund drive was questioned by several Opposition leaders such as Nana Patole, ex-Karnataka CMs Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, stating that the Trust had no account of the funds collected. Patole alleged that he was threatened to be 'thrown out of religious community' if he refuses to contribute to the Ram Mandir Fund drive. Similarly, Kumaraswamy had claimed that people collecting donations for the construction of Ram Mandir are separately marking houses of those who paid money and those who did not, while Siddaramaiah said that Trust's audit was 'Rama-Krishna's accountability'.

Mandir Trust's fund campaign

In December, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust announced that it will launch a mass contact and Contribution Campaign for the construction of the temple. Asserting that only domestic funds will be accepted, it said that voluntary donations from Rambhakts will be accepted for which Coupons of ₹ 10, 100 and 1,000 will be available. The campaign which started from January 14, 2021, will end on February 27, 2021. Moreover, the Trust said nearly 4 lakh volunteers will cover 55 crore people (11 crore families) in 5 lakh villages during the campaign.

Several prominent leaders like President Kovind, Digvijay Singh, Chirag Paswan, Aparna Yadav have donated to the fund. While the drive has found backing by Congress-backed NSUI, it has been opposed by Shiv Sena which said that Ram Janmabhoomi trust's fund campaign is an insult to Lord Ram as he was the 'King of Ayodhya'. 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.