NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak on Friday played down the ongoing controversy over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, claiming that no one is asking about the status of funds collected for the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.While talking to reporters, Pathak said that the Samajwadi Party and Congress are indulging in politics of appeasement and attacking Sanatan culture to attract Muslim voters.“Was money collected for the Babri Masjid or not? It was collected, wasn’t it? Ask about that. Is anyone questioning it? These people from the Samajwadi Party and Congress are only doing politics of appeasement. Just to attract Muslim voters, they are attacking Sanatan culture. Our government is committed to zero tolerance against corruption and misconduct,” Pathak said.“But what happened to the donations collected for the Babri Masjid? Ask about that too. As for the questions being raised about influential people in the FIR… are you the police or are we the police? The police administration is conducting the investigation impartially. But ask one question to those people in the Samajwadi Party and Congress who are indulging in appeasement politics.”He also alleged illegal activities, including “terror funding”, in madrasas. “Ask them where that money went. There is illegal activity taking place in madrasas, money is coming from outside, and terror funding is happening. In our border districts, what is going on in the madrasas? What are the maulanas doing there? People should think about that as well,” he said.This comes a day after an FIR was lodged against eight persons over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple.Earlier in the day, a local court remanded all eight accused to judicial custody till June 29. They will remain in jail and are scheduled to be produced before the court again on Monday.The alleged irregularities have triggered sharp political reactions over the past two weeks. Former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey alleged that between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in temple donations had been misappropriated. Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT on June 13 after the Trust itself sought an investigation.The SIT, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, examined donation collection, counting and storage procedures, scrutinised financial records, and recorded statements from nearly 150 people associated with the temple administration.Officials said the preliminary report recommended administrative reforms to improve transparency and accountability, though its full contents have not been made public.
