Political war after godmen expose

OH MY GOD! At a time when UP is in the midst of polls, the expose has assumed political overtones.

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New Delhi: The images of Godmen laundering money, in the name of God, all for a commission - exposed by CNN-IBN and Cobrapost - have shocked the entire country. The Government, taking the issue seriously has promised swift and strict action.

Says Minister of State, Finance, Pawan Bansal, "We will investigate and take action against all illegal activities."

At a time when Uttar Pradesh is in the midst of Assembly elections, the expose has assumed huge political overtones.

While BJP went into a defensive mode and questioned the authenticity of the sting operation, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has got an issue to exploit and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) feels that Hindus are being victimised.

Says BJP spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad, "The names that your channel has discussed are all respectable people. I am not sure how authentic this sting operation is."

Adds VHP Vice-President, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, "What is the purpose behind a sting operation? And why are Hindus always maligned?"

With the Income Tax department also promising action against the erring sadhus and the trusts, BJP baiters have got an issue to exploit

Says SP General Secretary, Amar Singh, "Some people use religion for money, some use it for politics."

With voting at the BJP strongholds in Gorakhpur and Ayodhya on Tuesday, this expose could throw up uncomfortable questions.

GODMEN OR FRAUDMEN?
	Pilot Baba: He was a pilot with the Indian Air Force before he became a guru. He also fought in the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Now, he is famous for performing samadhi under water and underground. He claims to have buried himself in samadhi over 100 times and devotees believe he has special healing powers. However, the baba is just a conman whose real powers emerge when it comes to converting black money into white.
	Vedanti Maharaj: He is a former BJP MP. Now, he is the Chairman of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust and claims to be well versed in religious scriptures and says he has no worldly pursuits. Thousands of Ram temple believers have put in their trust in him, but he is a common criminal running a very clever money laundering racket.
	Guruvayur Surya Nambudiri: He has thousands of devotees in south India and claims to have predicted Shankaracharya's arrest. He is famous for making prophecies, but the man who claims that he can predict what tomorrow holds, could not get over his love for money. He willingly converts black money into white for a commission.

FOREIGN FUNDS
	Figures with the Ministry of Home Affairs during the year 2003-04 says that as many as 14,700 groups in India have received foreign funds worth Rs 4,856 crore.
	The Andhra Pradesh-based Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust is the largest recipient of foreign contributions. The Sathya Sai Trust received Rs 95 crore during 2003-04.
	World Vision International, a United States-based Christian relief and development organisation, is the biggest donor agency for many Indian voluntary groups.
	World Vision released nearly Rs 95 crore for charitable purposes for Indian agencies last year. Other big donors are Foster Parents Plan International, USA and Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, USA.
	As per the latest available data with the Union home ministry, the US heads the list of donor countries to India with Rs 1,492.62 crore, followed by the United Kingdom (Rs 677.59 crore), and Germany (Rs 664.51 crore).

(With inputs from Pallavi Basu)