Siddhivinayak Temple lost Rs 18 crore in annual donations: Raj Thackeray
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has alleged that nearly Rs 18 crore was being siphoned off every year from donations at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has alleged that nearly Rs 18 crore was being siphoned off every year from donations at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple, citing a threefold rise in weekly collections after nine employees were arrested over alleged theft. Speaking at a programme organised by the MNS student wing on Saturday, Thackeray said the temple’s weekly donation count had remained below Rs 50 lakh before the employees were caught. Over the past three weeks, however, collections had risen to around Rs 1.5 crore a week, he claimed. Read Full Story “Before these workers were apprehended, the weekly donation count every Wednesday was less than Rs 50 lakh. However, over the past three weeks since their arrest, the weekly collection has soared to around Rs 1.5 crore,” Thackeray said. He argued that the sharp rise indicated that money had been regularly diverted from the donation boxes, causing an estimated annual loss of nearly Rs 18 crore. TRUSTEES SUSPECT ROLE OF SENIOR OFFICIALS To support his allegations, Thackeray read out a letter signed by eight trustees of the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust and addressed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The letter said employees accused of stealing money from the donation boxes had been caught due to the vigilance of the trustees. It also expressed suspicion that people in higher positions may have been involved and sought a government-led investigation into the role of senior officials. “We strongly suspect that this malpractice involves higher-level authorities as well. Therefore, I request that this matter be taken seriously, and an investigation be launched into the senior officials concerned within the government framework,” the letter said. It was signed by trustees Rahul Londhe, Bhaskar Shetty, Mahesh Mudaliar, Jitendra Raut, Meena Kambli, Manisha Tupe, Gopal Dalvi and Sudarshan Sangale. ‘EVEN TEMPLES ARE NOT SAFE’ Thackeray used the allegations to launch a wider attack on corruption in religious institutions. “Young people who are frustrated go to temples, but even temples are not safe from corruption,” he said. The MNS chief also alleged that Rs 1,400 crore had been stolen at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the issue.
Police have arrested several people in connection with alleged theft involving Ram Temple donations, and an investigation is underway. However, the basis of Thackeray’s Rs 1,400-crore figure was not immediately clear. TEMPLE TRUST RESPONDS However, the Trust's president, Sada Sarvankar, rejected allegations of financial irregularities under the current management, saying his board had uncovered the malpractice and initiated action against those involved. Sarvankar said he had approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau after noticing administrative loopholes. He claimed the subsequent investigation led to the arrest of trust official Rajan Pendulkar and nine others, while around 45 employees were suspended over alleged irregularities in the handling of donations. He further alleged that donation leakages during earlier administrations amounted to nearly Rs 18 crore annually and said the current board had plugged the gaps, leading to a rise in accounted revenue. Rejecting calls for his resignation, Sarvankar said the present board should not be blamed when it was responsible for exposing the alleged wrongdoing and initiating arrests and suspensions. SANJAY RAUT BACKS THACKERAY’S CLAIM Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut backed Thackeray’s allegations, claiming that instances of donation theft had increased after the temple trust came under the control of people close to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
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