New Delhi, Nov. 11 -- Upping the ante over the Ram temple donation theft case, the Congress on Wednesday demanded that all financial records be made public, the scope of the investigation expanded, and that every individual found guilty face action in accordance with the law.
The opposition party also asserted that accountability cannot be limited solely to the eight employees who have been arrested and that the role of every person responsible for the construction, management and handling of offerings at the temple must be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "'Chanda Chori, Aastha Dhokha'. From the management of the trust and the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to the collection of donations and offerings, and their subsequent deposit into the bank, individuals affiliated with the BJP, RSS, and VHP have been in control at every stage. Therefore, they cannot evade responsibility for the theft of these offerings."
Most shockingly, as early as 2021, allegations of irregularities and misappropriation of offerings were raised by Mahipal Singh, a former accounts in-charge associated with the RSS, who had been sent to the temple by the RSS itself for 'seva' (service), Ramesh said.
He alleges that upon discovering the theft in 2021, he informed Champat Rai and Gopal Rao. However, instead of taking action against those responsible, he was the one who was removed, Ramesh pointed out.
Given this, how can it be argued that Rai and Rao were not involved in the theft over these five years, the Congress leader asked.
Does this not constitute clear evidence of theft and plunder, facilitated by collusion from the top down, he further questioned.
"According to media reports, Dinanath Verma, an engineer overseeing the construction work, alleged that a 40 per cent commission was demanded for tasks related to the trust office. He claims that he played an audio recording of this demand for Champat Rai, following which he was removed from the project. Has Champat Rai been directly questioned about this?" Ramesh asked.
He said if they were already aware of these irregularities, how did Rai, Anil Mishra, and Rao end up as witnesses rather than accused persons in the chargesheet.
"Media reports indicate that the accused, Anukalp Mishra, has had ties to the Bajrang Dal and the RSS 'shakha'. On April 30, 2026, Champat Rai himself attended a 'Bhagwat Katha' event associated with him. Does this not amount to direct protection being provided to the thieves from the highest levels?" Ramesh said.
According to media reports, Subhash Srivastava, who was in charge of the staff responsible for counting donations, used to host an RSS 'shakha' at his own home, Ramesh said.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has allegedly held him responsible for handing over the keys to the donation boxes to unauthorised individuals. It is also alleged that the accused, Tinnu Yadav, was Rai's driver, he said.
"According to media reports, advertisements were issued for the recruitment of priests, and both a selection committee and a training committee were formed. However, for the counting room -- where crores of rupees arrived every week -- no advertisements were issued, nor were any interviews conducted.
"Should those who orchestrated this misappropriation to install their own associates in these positions not also have been named as accused?" Ramesh said.
Noting that on February 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself announced the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in the Lok Sabha, the Congress leader said the entire process was conducted by him in a confidential manner, and no information regarding the selection criteria or the deliberations involved has ever been made public.
"While the prime minister and the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) were at the forefront when it came to taking credit and posing for photographs, why have they remained consistently silent regarding the theft of temple offerings?" he asked.
In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the chief minister stated that the government had constituted an SIT at the request of the Trust, Ramesh said.
Is it not true that the report of the initial SIT was handed over to the very same Trust whose office-bearers were facing allegations of corruption? If that report has been shared with individuals who are viewed with suspicion by the public, why is it being kept hidden from the public itself, he asked.
"The most significant question is: why are all the individuals under suspicion or accused linked to the BJP, the RSS, and the Vishva Hindu Parishad?" Ramesh said.
Asserting that accountability cannot be limited solely to the eight employees who have been arrested, the Congress leader said the role of every person responsible for the construction, management and handling of offerings at the temple must be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
"The Congress demands that all financial records be made public, the scope of the investigation expanded, and that every individual found guilty face action in accordance with the law," Ramesh said.
A full account of the donations and offerings received in the name of Lord Ram must be provided to the nation, he said.
No position, political access, or organisational patronage can shield anyone from accountability, he asserted.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.