New Delhi: The Congress Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and demanded the immediate arrest of those behind the “scam”.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the investigation of this entire matter should be conducted under the supervision of a sitting Supreme Court judge because the corruption is “deep-rooted”.
He also demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible in the trust against whom serious allegations have been made, and that the trust be dissolved as it has lost the “people’s trust”.
Singh also alleged that the incident reveals that BJP leaders are not “true Ram bhakts” because they did not maintain Lord Ram’s ‘maryada’ by not ordering an investigation themselves.
“The country wants to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on such a big issue…
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should step forward to ensure a fair investigation of this case, so that people’s faith remains intact,” he said.
“All this has proved that they are not Ram bhakts. Had they been Ram bhakts, they would have maintained Lord Ram’s ‘maryada’ and given strict instructions for an independent investigation in the supervision of the Supreme Court, as this trust was formed on SC directions,” Singh said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh used a dialogue from the Hindi film “Upkaar” to say “Dete hain bhagwan ko dhokha, insaan ko kya chhodenge… (They trick God, would they spare humans…).”
“These lines from the well-known film ‘Upkaar’ are entirely accurate for the thieves of Shri Ram Mandir and their protectors.
“When there are grand claims of faith, patriotism, and morality, but silence on accountability ‘” For them, ‘Oaths, promises, patriotism, loyalty ‘” all are just words, what’s to their words’,” he said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also termed the happenings at Ayodhya “really tragic” and shameful.
“The people from all over the country, those who believe and those who have faith, gave donations and now those donations have been stolen. I think it is tragic.
“I think it is shameful and the government needs to inquire into what has happened, how it has happened and why it has happened,” she told reporters in Wayanad.
She said these are funds which have been collected from every citizen and there was a drive to collect them.
“So who’s responsible? If you collected them, it’s your responsibility to keep them safe,” she noted.
Singh said the ‘trust’ of the people in the Ram Mandir Trust has been lost, therefore this trust should be immediately dissolved.
“It is strange why no arrest has been made so far. If an opposition leader is involved, the ED and CBI arrest all such leaders claiming that if they remain out they can influence the trial.
“Is the ED, CBI only meant for the opposition? Are those involved in the scam in Ayodhya not influencing the probe,” he asked.
He said the Ram Mandir Trust had appointed agencies for financial investigation and scrutiny and those agencies gave several suggestions, but the trust’s people ignored them.
“When the incidents of theft began to be revealed. When the temple’s cash counting agent Mahipal Singh publicly disclosed several matters, he was removed from his position.
“When further revelations started coming to light, the CCTV cameras were removed and the camera recordings were deleted. After the SIT’s report in this matter, FIRs were filed against some people, but it only included the names of minor employees,” he said.
Singh said the Congress has been saying for a long time that these people’s intentions are not right, but this matter was not taken seriously.
He claimed that while Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, initially stated there was no significant irregularity in this matter, as the layers peeled back, a senior member of the trust itself described it not as corruption, but as ‘looting.’
“This is an extremely serious issue, because this case is connected to the faith of millions of Indians, who have donated to the Ram Temple with devotion and trust, but the trust toyed with people’s emotions and engaged in rampant looting,” he said.
The alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has snowballed into a major controversy, with an SIT probe finding lapses in the shrine’s donation management system and eight people associated with counting cash and valuables being arrested.