Ram temple donation row: Congress demands SC-monitored probe, dissolution of Trust

The Congress party on Friday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation and the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust over the alleged Ayodhya donation scam, claiming low-level arrests hide a massive financial racket orchestrated at the top

New Delhi: Amid the row over alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Congress on Friday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe and the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Hitting out at the BJP-RSS, the opposition party said the “self-proclaimed protectors of Hinduism” have been completely exposed with the revelations of the theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

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Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said that after using Ayodhya for their divisive politics, the BJP-RSS “looted” from donations of ordinary devotees and made a complete mockery of their sentiments.

On the one hand, the BJP wants to control registered trusts through “draconian” FCRA rules, and on the other hand completely unregistered entities like the RSS are free to “loot and plunder” the temples of our country, he said.

“The Sangh Parivar’s farce of being true Hindus is even further exposed because the FIR registered currently does not even name the trustees who were entrusted with temple funds. Instead, the UP Police SIT has only identified low-level office bearers without implicating those at the top of this mega racket,” Venugopal said on X.

Only an independent investigation headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge will unearth the magnitude of this “temple loot”, the Congress leader said.

Senior Congress leader Rajeev Shukla claimed there has been a “horrific loot” of donations and offerings in the Ram Temple.

Addressing a press conference here, Shukla alleged that donations collected from people with faith in Lord Ram—particularly from villages and impoverished sections of society— were misappropriated, and that low-level employees are being targeted instead of the individuals truly responsible.

He said it is a matter requiring investigation whether a low-level employee could steal such a large sum by switching off CCTV cameras without the collusion of senior officials.

The Congress leader alleged that cash offerings at the temple were under-reported and that proper records were not maintained for jewellery offered by women. “This is a betrayal of people’s religious faith,” he said.

Shukla claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are attempting to take control of temple trusts and intend to use donations and offerings for political purposes.

He demanded a probe into the entire matter under the supervision of the Supreme Court and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure strict action is taken.

Shukla also demanded the dissolution of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and its reconstitution to include seers, saints, and individuals associated with the religious sphere, replacing the political figures.

Eight persons named in an FIR over the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have been arrested, senior officials said on Friday.

The FIR, lodged at the instance of Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, follows recommendations made in the preliminary report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the allegations.