VHP plans nationwide drive to collect funds for Ram temple construction

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) is planning to launch a nationwide drive from January 2021 to collect funds for the construction of a new Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

Hindustan Times quoted VHP vice president Champat Rai as saying that the plan was expected to get the final approval from VHP’s decision-making body soon. He added that New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Sura would be some of the main locations they were having in mind for the drive. Rai further said a few other centres may also be considered as per the need.

Gaurav Jaiswal, a VHP functionary, told Hindustan Times that the donations would be voluntary only. “He [Rai] also informed us that some specially-prepared literature would be distributed by our volunteers during the drive that would be undertaken across all localities and villages,” he said after a VHP meeting.

“The responsibility of preparing the literature has been entrusted to Sanskar Bharti — an organisation working in the field of promoting Indian art and culture. The material would then be made available to all the states from Delhi that is becoming the centre of this initiative. It would then be translated into various local languages before distribution,” he explained, according to Hindustan Times.

This fund collection campaign will also be widely advertised in all prominent dailies. Before January, all details of the campaign will be finalised after taking into consideration all suggestions in this regard.

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“Local units have been asked to complete all details of the campaign so that as soon as the details at the national level are taken, the campaign can be launched on the ground in a well-organised manner,” said Jaiswal.

The construction of this temple is expected to cost “several hundred crores”, according to sources. However, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, the trust set up by the Centre to oversee the construction of the Ram temple, has collected just Rs 15 crore so far.

No official estimation has been put out by the Centre or the Trust yet.