BHOPAL: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday announced that he would file a lawsuit in a court in Ayodhya seeking the return of the Rs 1.11 lakh he had donated for the construction of the Ram Temple, alleging the funds had been misappropriated.
Addressing an event organised by the MP Mahila Congress in Bhopal, Singh said he would approach the court instead of the police.
"I've decided to file a lawsuit in Ayodhya stating that the donation I made was misappropriated—they looted it, and therefore, it should be returned to me so I can deposit it into the 'Ramlaya Trust'. I have no faith in the police station; the police are controlled by the BJP, so I won't go there. I will go to the court in Ayodhya," he said.
The Congress veteran said the decision followed advice from a senior criminal lawyer in Delhi. He added that he would meet his lawyer on July 5 or 6 to prepare the petition before travelling to Ayodhya to file the case.
Singh said he had donated Rs 1.11 lakh directly to the Ram Temple Trust after the 2019 Supreme Court verdict, claiming he chose not to contribute through the VHP because he did not trust the organisation. He said he had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that the donation be deposited with the trust and received an official receipt after making the contribution.
Recalling earlier fundraising drives, Singh claimed there had been no accounting for donations collected during the first campaign linked to L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra. "We have faith in Lord Ram and the Ram Mandir. We made the donation out of faith in Lord Ram and the desire for a magnificent temple," he said.
The announcement comes amid reported criticism from leaders within the Madhya Pradesh Congress over Singh's recent remarks that contradicted state Congress chief Jitu Patwari on alleged irregularities in the transfer of government land in Ujjain.
Singh also announced that he would undertake a nearly 1,000-km padyatra from Ujjain to Ayodhya beginning October 2, 2026.
Alleging that valuable land near the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain had been allotted to an RSS-linked trust during the tenure of former BJP chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, Singh claimed the land was now being used for commercial purposes, including the construction of a 100-room hotel, and demanded a probe into the alleged misuse of donations.
He said the padyatra would be "completely non-political" and invited all devotees of Lord Ram and those upset over the alleged misappropriation of Ram Temple donations to join the march, which would cover 10-15 km each day. Singh also said he would stay away from social media throughout the journey.