New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP-RSS machinery of protecting those involved in the alleged embezzlement in Ram Temple donations and demanded that the SIT report be made public.
The Congress also termed the “theft” in the donations as an attack on the faith of 100 crore Hindus and asked Modi to own responsibility the same way he grabbed credit for the temple construction.
The opposition party said Lord Ram will punish those accused of embezzlement in Ram temple funds and for their ‘sins’ while the people of the country will hold the BJP accountable.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the only dream of Modi and his companions is “chanting the name of Ram, while making others’ wealth their own”.
“The entire country is anguished by the loot of donations in the Shri Ram Temple. Due to pressure from the citizens, an FIR was filed after the SIT report, but even after so many days, the main accused – due to their connections with RSS-BJP – are roaming freely in the open,” he said.
He termed as utterly condemnable, putting Congress leaders en route to pay obeisance at Lord Shri Ram Temple under house arrest in a dictatorial manner.
Congress leader Ajay Rai has claimed he was being put under house arrest.
“The citizens demand immediate strict action against the guilty in this matter, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and the entire BJP-RSS machinery are engaged in protecting the thieves involved in this donation theft scandal and suppressing the case.
“Prime Minister ji, those who are protecting the guilty in this loot from the Shri Ram Temple are equally culpable. For this vile act, Lord Shri Ram will surely punish you, and the people of the country will also hold you accountable,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate described the theft of sacred donations in the Ram Temple at Ayodhya as a ‘cardinal sin’ (maha paap), claiming that never before in the history had the faith of Hindus been attacked like this.
“This isn’t just some donation theft or scam, this is a cardinal sin, an attack on the faith of Hindus all over the world,” she said.
Questioning the silence of the prime minister, she asked him to own responsibility for the theft the same way he claimed credit for everything, right from the ‘Shilanyas to Pran Patishtha’.
“If the prime minister takes credit for a task, he must also take responsibility for it. So why is Prime Minister Modi silent on the issue of donation theft? In this matter, Prime Minister Modi’s silence raises several big questions,” she said.
The Congress spokesperson demanded that the matter be probed by a sitting Supreme Court judge, saying that the UP government cannot be trusted. She said the accused, prosecutor and the judge cannot be the same person.
Shrinate noted that there were clear attempts to cover up and protect the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and the RSS in the matter. Why was the report of the Special Investigation Team that probed the matter not being made public, she asked.
“This was not an ordinary theft but an attack on the faith of over one billion Hindus and the soul of the nation.”
“When the theft has indeed taken place inside the Ram temple, what is the government trying to hide? The SIT report should be uploaded on a public website so that every citizen can know the truth,” she said, alleging that the investigation lacked independence because government officials had investigated their own administration.
She demanded immediate publication of the SIT report, dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, registration of FIRs against trust office-bearers and others responsible, including Champat Rai Bansal, an independent audit of all donations received by the temple since the trust’s inception, probe monitored by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, and a public statement from Modi seeking apology from the devotees for the betrayal of their faith.
“What explains the fact that a trust hand-picked by the prime minister, filled with people close to the RSS and his favourite bureaucrats, exempted from the RTI – allowed fund siphoning under its watch.”
“The trust must be dissolved,” she demanded.
Shrinate said Champat Rai was the “be-all” of the trust and he has simply resigned and wants to walk away. “Champat Rai is a big shark and every effort is being made to protect him.”
“Where has the donation money gone? That is the question Champat Rai will have to answer, and he cannot be allowed to go scot-free. An FIR should be lodged against him,” she said.
Shrinate said that the CCTV evidence documenting around 70 theft incidents over approximately 40 days represented only a fraction of the alleged wrongdoing. She asked, what would be the extent of the theft for five and a half years?
“The available footage covers only about 40 days because older CCTV footage no longer exists. Who will account for the previous five-and-a-half years,” she asked, noting that the theft had continued in an organised manner over several years.
