HDK didn’t identify or name those volunteers nor filed a police complaint: Sri Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji

Udupi: Sri Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt in Udupi has defended the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and RSS functionaries following allegations that the volunteers were marking households that did not contribute to the cause.

It maybe recalled that former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had alleged that he was threatened by some volunteers during the fund collection drive. Also, there have been demands asking for the audits and accounts of the donations collected in the fundraising drive.

Reacting to these allegations and demands, Pejawar seer, who is also a trustee of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust said that contrary to the impression which has been created due to statements given by few politicians no person has been forced to contribute to the Ram Mandir.

As the volunteers ran out of receipt book due to the unexpected response, the marking would have been done to facilitate volunteers to return and collect funds later with a receipt book, the seer was quoted in a NIE report.

Further the seer said that the trust is not a ‘benami’ trust but is formed by none other than the Union government and those making allegations must realise this. “As the trust is formed under the law of the land, the fund collection is also constitutionally guaranteed. Therefore, questioning without logic would only lead to unfruitful arguments and solutions won’t be there,” he said.

On former Kumaraswamy’s allegation of being threatened by some volunteers during the fund collection drive, Pejawar seer asserted, ”The matter would have been closed if he had filed a police complaint.”

“How can one be sure that these charges are true? He didn’t name or identify those volunteers,” Kumaraswamy told NIE.