The Congress on Monday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for remaining silent over the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple in Ayodhya, according to the Press Trust of India.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh called for an independent investigation supervised by the Supreme Court. He demanded that a complete account of the temple offerings be made public, the involvement of everyone responsible be examined and no official be exempted from accountability.
In a Hindi post on X, Ramesh wrote, “Chanda chori, aastha dhokha. Ram ke naam se satta paayi, chanda chori par chuppi chaayi.” He added that the BJP, which gained political power by invoking Lord Ram’s name, would face a downfall because of the alleged theft.
Ramesh alleged that the special investigation team (SIT) had been formed in a way that favoured those accused in the case.
He said the alleged large-scale theft at the Ram temple came to light on June 4, 2026. Nine days later, on June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT following a request from the temple trust. According to Ramesh, the Home Department submitted its final report to the same trust on August 17 and, as he had anticipated, cleared Champat Rai and Anil Mishra of wrongdoing.
Ramesh claimed that the alleged theft had been captured on camera 105 times. He said footage recorded between April 27 and June 5, 2026, showed employees tasked with counting donations concealing bundles of currency notes.
He questioned how those responsible for overseeing the temple treasury could issue a clean chit, arguing that the treasurer should address the most important questions surrounding the alleged theft.
Citing observations by saints in Ayodhya, Ramesh said treasurer Govind Giri should have known about the movement of funds into and out of the treasury. However, he alleged that Giri had declared on July 7 that Champat Rai had no involvement in the scandal.
The Congress leader maintained that the scale of the alleged theft remained unclear, with neither the total amount of missing money nor the value of the precious items reportedly stolen having been disclosed publicly.
Ramesh also referred to a preliminary report dated June 23, which he said indicated that monitoring procedures had not been followed and the control room was frequently left unattended. He questioned why investigators had not examined the possible involvement of others or disclosed the actual figures related to the alleged theft before closing the investigation.
He further alleged that junior employees had been jailed while senior officials remained free.
According to Ramesh, an FIR was registered on June 25, and eight people involved in counting the donations were arrested the following day. However, he said no former office-bearer of the temple trust had been named in the FIR. He also questioned why the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation had not conducted more rigorous interrogations.
Ramesh said the BJP had failed to understand what he described as Lord Ram’s expression of displeasure through the party’s electoral defeat in Ayodhya, allowing the alleged misappropriation of temple offerings to continue.
He argued that a BJP government could not be expected to investigate people associated with the Sangh Parivar who were allegedly involved in the case. The Congress therefore demanded an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the matter under Supreme Court supervision.
Ramesh reiterated that all temple offerings must be accounted for publicly, the roles of everyone involved must be examined and no official should be shielded from responsibility.
He also criticised Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ajay Singh Bisht, referring to Adityanath by his former name, for their alleged silence more than four and a half months after the incident came to light.
Ramesh said citizens must ensure that those allegedly responsible for stealing donations while abusing their positions of power are held accountable and punished.
Earlier this month, the Congress had alleged that individuals such as former Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai were being protected during the investigation. It also criticised Modi’s silence, warning that the “arrogance of power is suicidal”, PTI reported.
The opposition party had questioned the 21-day gap between a video concerning the alleged theft reaching Rai on June 4 and the registration of an FIR. Ramesh had also asked whether investigators were focused solely on catching minor offenders or intended to establish accountability among those under whose supervision the alleged wrongdoing occurred.
The Congress has continued to raise questions about the SIT’s findings, insisting that only an impartial and transparent inquiry supervised by the Supreme Court can establish the facts. It has also alleged that the Prime Minister’s silence suggests that those responsible for the alleged theft enjoy his protection.
