Congress Targets BJP, RSS Over Ram Mandir Donation Scam

Congress Alleges Fraud In Mandir Donations

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the BJP's strategy is to engage in "vote chori, seat chori, chanda chori" and sought a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge. 

Ramesh said, "'Chanda chori' has taken place beyond any doubt. The RSS statement on the issue is disgraceful and shameful. These are the very people who claim to issue certificates of integrity, honesty and nationalism to others, but have now been caught in the most disgraceful manner.”

"There should be an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge. The toughest possible action should be taken against all the accused. But the silence of the Prime Minister and the home minister is shocking," he added.

Jairam Questions PM Modi Over Silence

Ramesh also questioned as to why the prime minister, who had politically gained from the construction and inauguration of the Ram Temple for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, had not reacted to the allegation of scam.

"The prime minister took credit for building the Ram Temple and inaugurating it on 22 January 2024. We expect him to make a statement. Both he and the home minister have remained completely silent," he said.

RSS Ecosystem Under Congress Attack

He said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust functioned as a very tightly knit ecosystem of BJP-RSS and asked how the prominent figures of the trust including former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Nripendra Misra, would not have been aware of the scam.

“To think that the RSS did not know what is happening, to think that the Prime Minister and Home Minister did not know what was happening, is beyond imagination. Everybody knew what was happening, this whole enterprise was a political enterprise and the donation, trust were part of that," Ramesh said. 

Police Recover Cash, Foreign Currency During Probe

The issue surfaced after the UP government's Special Investigation Team's preliminary report in alleged misappropriation of donations of the temple. Based on the report, an FIR was filed on June 25 and eight people have been arrested so far. 

Police have recovered close to Rs 80 lakh in cash and foreign currency from six of them, stating that investigations were ongoing and more arrests or seizures may occur as they examine alleged diversions of funds from the collections made in the name of one of India's holiest sites.