New Delhi: In a nine-page letter, former general secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust in Ayodhya, Champat Rai, has levelled certain allegations against Nripendra Misra, the ex-adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who headed the Trust’s construction committee.The letter, a copy of which has been seen by The Wire, is neither written on an official letterhead nor has Rai’s signature on it. It begins with ‘Jai Shri Ram’, with its headline stating ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir sambandhi jananne yogya kuch baatein (Some facts worth knowing about the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir)’. The contents of the letter are in Hindi.In it, Rai suggests that Misra played a dominant role in decision-making over the temple’s construction and seemed to indicate his dissatisfaction with the former bureaucrat’s choices, including over his selection of staff.Rai had resigned in June citing “moral grounds” after eight persons employed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust as counting staff were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police following an FIR over the embezzlement of temple donations.As reported by The Wire earlier in a two-part series from Ayodhya, the Ram Mandir Trust since its inception in February 2020 has been under the control of those affiliated either to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) or the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).Karsewaks – the original footsoldiers mobilised by the VHP and RSS who took part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of the 1990s – were gradually sidelined over the years and not given any space within the Trust.The Wire also learnt that the whistleblower in the embezzlement case, Mahipal Singh, a former accountant with the Trust, had in 2022 discovered “full-fledged corruption [at the temple] which was going on right in front of CCTV cameras”.Rai’s latest letter, dated August 18, begins with the Ram Mandir’s past, from 1528 under the reign of Mughal emperor Babur to 1949 when Hindu Mahasabha activists reportedly planted idols inside the Babri Masjid.The Wire reached out to Rai for a response several times but our calls were not answered.When this reporter reached out to the VHP’s joint general secretary and spokesperson Surendra Jain, he told The Wire, “We don’t know if the letter is an authorised one”, and refused to comment further.A report by the Hindustan Times, however, does confirm that the letter has been written by Rai. According to this story based on the nine-page letter that has surfaced recently: “HT reached out to Rai. He confirmed that he wrote the letter.”Allegations against former adviser to ModiThe series of allegations as mentioned in the letter suggest that Misra played a dominant role in taking decisions related to the Mandir’s construction since 2020 and include:1. Companies chosen for temple construction: Rai’s letter states that it was on Misra’s suggestion that Larsen & Toubro was chosen for temple construction, and that an organisation with an equivalent stature had to be chosen as project management consultant – this firm happens to be Tata Consulting Engineers.2. Noida firm picked for construction: While Ahmedabad-based temple architect Chandrakant Bhai Sompura, picked by the late Ashok Singhal in 1986, continued with temple construction, as far as other buildings were concerned, Misra chose a Noida-based firm named ‘Design Associates’ (headed by Jay Katikar).Design Associates Inc is a Noida-based firm whose website states that the company started in 1998 and has “over the years grown into a multidisciplinary firm with expertise across residential, commercial and institutional projects”.On another page, the company also talks about its special project in Ayodhya, referred to as ‘Master Planning for Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Complex’.While the client for this project has been mentioned as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the project cost is stated to be over Rs 1,000 crore for having built an area measuring 1,67,360 square metres.This construction work included 14 building complexes, namely: an Integrated Temple Complex, a Pilgrims Management System and a Darshan Court Gallery, among other structures.The Wire tried contacting the company’s representative for a response and called its official number listed on its website but it wasn’t working. A questionnaire has been sent at the firm’s official email ID requesting a statement on Rai’s recent letter and on its links with Misra if any. This story will be updated as and when there is a response.Among other projects the firm has undertaken are the new Uttar Pradesh Secretariat in Lucknow, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in Mumbai, reconstruction of the Narsingh Temple in Chamoli and the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida.3. Selection of members in the construction committee: Rai’s letter also raises questions over some members Misra brought in. “As per his own choice, Nripendra ji added some persons who could help him, out of whom one person only came twice to Ayodhya in the last six years,” Rai has written in his letter.The letter also names another member of the construction committee, Anoop Mittal (former chairman of the National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited), who participated in monthly meetings along with Misra and was involved in certain key decisions.Misra for his part termed the letter as “fabricated” when asked about the allegations levelled by Rai, reported the Press Trust of India. “First of all, which letter?” he was quoted as saying.Another letter reportedly written by RaiAnother 21-page letter reportedly written by Rai has been doing the rounds in the media. This letter also doesn’t bear Rai’s signature and mentions ‘Champat Rai, Vishva Hindu Parishad Delhi’ at the bottom.Unlike the nine-page letter, this document titled ‘History and Struggle of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi’ does not level any specific allegations and is a summary of how the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was built and sustained over the years.Recalling the 1989 ‘Ram Shila Pujan’ ceremony held in Ayodhya, the letter states: “By contacting six crore devotees, Rs 8.25 crore was deposited in the account of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas [Trust].”The Wire has not been able to verify independently whether Rai indeed wrote the said letter.