Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday alleged that donations worth Rs 18 crore had been embezzled from the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai every year.
He also claimed that Rs 1,400 crore had been “stolen” from the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The remarks came amid a row over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh.
On Sunday, citing a letter purportedly written by eight temple trustees to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray claimed that employees at Siddhivinayak temple had siphoned off donations from collection boxes.
He also claimed that the temple’s weekly donations were below Rs 50 lakh before the alleged theft came to light, but increased to about Rs 1.5 crore after those allegedly involved were caught.
Sada Sarvankar, chairperson of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and a leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said that nine temple employees had been arrested in connection with the alleged theft, PTI reported.
“We have filed cases wherever required,” the news agency quoted Sarvankar as saying.
Edited by Nachiket Deuskar.
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