Digvijaya Singh Donates Rs 1,11,111 For Ram Temple, With A Request For PM

Congress's Digvijaya Singh has contributed Rs 1.11 lakh for the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. While the Congress, ahead of the state elections in 2019, had favored what the BJP called a "soft Hindutva" line, Mr Singh was among the first in the party to donate for the temple.

The donation was accompanied by a jibe, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to whom the cheque was sent.

While the right-wing group Vishwa Hindu Parishad had started the 44-day fundraising campaign for the temple on January 15, the campaign has been accompanied by armed rallies.

"Carrying lathis and swords and raising slogans to incite a community cannot be a part of any religious ceremony. Such developments cannot be part of the Hindu religion," Mr Singh wrote.  

"Owing to such developments, three untoward incidents have already happened in MP, which has damaged the social harmony in the society," he wrote, citing the clashes in Ujjain, Indore, and Mandsaur districts.

"You are aware that other religious communities are not against temple construction," he wrote. "So as the country's Prime Minister, you direct states to stop fundraising processions where people carrying arms are inciting other communities," he added.

Mr Singh also wrote that he was sending the cheque to the Prime Minster.

"Since I don't have information on where and to which bank the money is to be donated, I'm sending you along with this letter, a Rs 1,11,111 cheque in favour of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as my contribution for the Ram Temple construction," his letter read.

Then came another jab - a request to compel the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to make public the detailed statement of account about the collections made over the years for the construction of the temple.