BHOPAL: Two days after former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh announced that he would move a court in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya seeking the return of his Rs 1.11 lakh donation for the construction of the Ram Temple, an Indore-based farmer-cum-driver has offered to repay the entire amount himself.
"Whatever amount the former MP CM donated, I'm ready to pay it from my savings. If he wants more, I'll borrow it from my friends and return the money to him through a cheque. He doesn't need to go to court. We got our Ram Temple after decades of legal battle, and Singh should not drag the temple into another court case over his donation," said Ramsingh Makwana, a farmer from Depalpur in Indore district.
Holding a cheque for Rs 1.10 lakh issued in Singh's name, Makwana said he had also posted on social media inviting the Congress veteran to collect the account-payee cheque.
"I've shared my mobile number and asked him to come to Indore and take the cheque. He doesn't need to go to Ayodhya to file a lawsuit for the return of his donation. I'm an ardent Ram bhakt and I'm ready to repay him," he said.
Speaking to TNIE on Monday, Makwana said he was hurt by Singh's recent remarks alleging that the Ram Temple Trust had "stolen" his donation.
"I've been associated with the Ram Temple movement since I was 15 years old, when LK Advani launched the Ram Rath Yatra in 1990. I can tolerate anything, but not disrespect towards Lord Ram by those whose party once questioned his existence. Like any devotee, I'm pained by the recent developments in Ayodhya, but that doesn't give Digvijaya Singh the right to claim that his donation was stolen," he said.
The 51-year-old, who owns four bighas of farmland and also works as a driver for an industrialist in Indore, said donations made for religious causes should not be publicised.
"I've also donated for the Ram Temple, but no one publicises such donations. Ever since he claimed to have donated for the temple, Singh has kept talking about it publicly. It appears he donated for publicity. A true devotee forgets about the donation after making it," Makwana said.
While acknowledging that he supports the BJP, Makwana maintained that his offer was made in a personal capacity.
"This is entirely my own decision. There is no politics behind it," he said.
Makwana is not the only person to have made such an offer.
Astrologer Vinod Kumar Upadhyaya from Ballia district in eastern Uttar Pradesh has also announced that he is willing to return the entire Rs 1.11 lakh to Singh.
"In the first place, donations should not have been accepted from people whose party once questioned Lord Ram's existence and described him as an imaginary figure. I already have a cheque for Rs 1.11 lakh in Digvijaya Singh's name. He should share his bank account details and we'll transfer the entire amount," Upadhyaya said.
On July 3, the septuagenarian Congress leader announced that he would soon file a civil suit in a court in Ayodhya, alleging that the donation he had made for the Ram Temple was misappropriated.
"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 with the Ramlaya Trust. I have no faith in the police because they are controlled by the BJP, so I will approach the court directly," Singh had told journalists in Bhopal.
