The leaders of the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh accused the Ram Mandir Trust set up by the centre of pulling off an illicit land deal in Ayodhya.
The Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party claim the transaction took place in March this year. It involved two real estate dealers allegedly purchasing a property from an individual for ₹ 2 crore and selling it — minutes later — to the Trust for ₹ 18.5 crore, according to the allegation. The temple body has brushed the charge aside as frivolous.
Former minister Of UP, Pawan Pandey held a press conference in Ayodhya alleging that the fraudulent land deal had taken place with the connivance of local BJP leaders and some Trust members.
The allegations are significant as the Ram temple in Ayodhya is an emotive issue in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due next year.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is a Trust that was set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in February 2020 to oversee and manage the construction of the temple based on a Supreme Court verdict.
It was awarded around 70 acres of land in the ruling and 12 of its 15 members are nominated by the centre.
