Ayodhya donations row: Aide's wife calls allegations a 'conspiracy'

Poonam Yadav, wife of Ramshankar Yadav, an aide to Champat Rai, has denied allegations of corruption in the Ram Temple donation row, calling it a 'conspiracy'. The UP government has formed an SIT to investigate the alleged financial irregularities.

Amidst the ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities regarding donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Poonam Yadav, the wife of Ramshankar Yadav (alias Tinnu Yadav), has strongly denied allegations of corruption and illegal wealth accumulation. Ramshankar Yadav, a long-time associate of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, has come under intense scrutiny.

Rejecting the reports of unexplained assets, Poonam Yadav dismissed the allegations as a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing her family's reputation. Speaking to ANI, she said, "There is nothing of the sort. Does anyone have any concrete evidence? They are just trying to defame him; there is absolutely nothing to it. It is being claimed that there are 50 rooms, a hostel, a hotel, and luxury cars--there is nothing like that. Yet, people are making such statements. If anything like that had been taken away, I would have been screaming and crying."

Poonam Yadav emphasised that the family's assets were acquired legally and well before the current controversy erupted. "Nothing of the sort happened; no one even came here. It is a conspiracy to defame him. He is being framed, and his image is being tarnished. We have been under so much stress for the past 15 days; we are being subjected to mental stress," she claimed. "I bought that house in 2008. It was built in 2015, before the Ram Mandir verdict was delivered, and everything I possess is transparent."

UP Govt Forms SIT to Probe Allegations

Her remarks come amid discussions surrounding missing donations' allegations made for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. On June 14, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged scam involving offerings made at the Ram Mandir, following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Trust. The SIT comprises Vijay Vishwas Pant, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow; Kiran S, IPS, IG (Range); and Neel Ratan, Special Secretary, Finance. The committee has been directed to submit its preliminary and final reports as soon as possible.

Petition in Supreme Court

A letter petition has been sent to the Supreme Court alleging concerns over alleged misappropriation, disappearance and irregularities in the handling of donations and offerings made by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. The letter sent by advocate Anoop Prakash Awasthi urged the Supreme Court to consider directing registration of an FIR and a court-monitored investigation by an independent agency such as the CBI into the alleged misappropriation of temple donations.

Political Accusations Surface

Earlier on June 12, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut held the BJP governments in the Centre and UP responsible for the alleged misappropriation of funds worth Rs 7 crore from offerings made at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The controversy stems from allegations levelled by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Pawan Pandey, former MLA from Ayodhya, who claimed that atleast Rs 7 crore in donations had been swindled. (ANI)

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