On the same day, in a classic case of loot-and-scoot, Gopal Rao (who was in charge of construction at Ram Mandir) reportedly caught a train with sacks stuffed with gold and silver bars. He was subsequently seen hobnobbing with senior RSS functionaries in Bengaluru. His nephew Somesh Anand is reportedly the โmuleโ transporting bags of gold and silver from Ayodhya to Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties have intensified their allegations of questionable land transactions. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has submitted documents related to 11 land deals to the Special Enquiry Team set up to probe the matter.
The team is now examining expenditure on Ram Mandir events, including Rs 113 crore spent on the consecration ceremony (presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and Rs 10.12 crore spent on the flag-hoisting ceremony in November 2025.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, pointed out that only lower-level functionaries have been arrested so far, while โthose responsible for larger wrongdoingsโ are going scot-free.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai went a step further and accused the ruling BJP of undermining Hindu religious sites, notably in Varanasi, Vrindavan and Mirzapur, and transforming them into tourist attractions.
Rai argues that religious buildings have been demolished under the guise of development projects like the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, which was expanded from 3,000 sq. ft to 500,000 sq. ft. The BJP-led government has, he says, prioritised commercialisation over organisations โ including the RSS-led Bharatiya Kisan Sangh โ preserving cultural heritage, destroying the livelihoods of communities that have long served these sacred locations.
A similar process is underway in Ujjain which is being primed as the next religio-tourist destination with the Simhastha Mahakumbh expected to be held here in 2028. Preparations have triggered a wave of land acquisition around the Mahakaleshwar Temple. Shops, homes and even a 200-year-old mosque have been demolished to make way for parking facilities and the Ujjain Mahakal Lok Corridor.
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