The theft of donations at the Ram temple at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, has triggered a demand that the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, which is managing the temple, should be reconstituted and that it should be managed by Hindu monks and not by the government. Mahant Sitaram Das, the head of the Saket Mandir, makes a strong plea against government control in an interview. He blames the treasurer of the trust Mahant Govind Giri for the irregularities in its accounts and for not conducting a proper audit of the donations that were made. He adds that Champat Rai, the general secretary of the trust, was morally responsible for the theft of donations as it had happened under his leadership.
Mahant Sitaram Das is of the view that the theft of donations will not have an adverse impact on the prospects of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath getting a third term in the state after the forthcoming elections to the legislative assembly. He also displayed unflinching faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, he felt, can be compared with God, in the interview with senior journalists Arun Sinha and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.
