The Congress on Thursday stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged theft of donations to the Ram temple, questioning his “silence” on the issue and accusing him of giving “tacit consent” to the alleged irregularities.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the opposition party coined the Hindi slogan, “BJP, RSS, VHP ka sapna, chande ka maal apna” (The BJP, RSS and VHP’s dream is to treat donation money as their own).
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "It is not just the offerings at the Ram Mandir that have been stolen; the thousands of crores of rupees collected as donations from crores of citizens across the country for the construction of the Ram Mandir have also been plundered."
Despite repeated questions raised by the opposition, and notwithstanding the allegations levelled against individuals associated with the BJP, RSS, and Vishva Hindu Parishad, he alleged that no investigation has been conducted, nor has any action been taken.
"Theft of donations even before the offerings?" Ramesh said.
Reiterating the Congress' questions to the BJP regarding the suspicious land deals involving the Ram Mandir Trust, Ramesh asked whether it is not true that on "March 18, 2021, at 7:10 PM, Tiwari and Ansari purchased land from Kusum Pathak for Rs 2 crore, and at 7:15 PM just five minutes later the Trust, through Champat Rai, acquired the same land for Rs 18.5 crore".
He was apparently referring to Ram Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari, who had reportedly sold the land to the Trust.
Ramesh asked, "How was a 825% markup a blatant act of plunder allowed to happen in just five minutes?"
Is it not true that the witnesses for both registration deeds were the same individuals the then-BJP Mayor, Rishikesh Upadhyay, and Trustee Anil Mishra, he further asked.
Ramesh questioned whether it is not true that the investigation report from 2021 has not been made public, even five years later.
When will the results of the SIT investigation into these land deals be revealed, he asked.
"We have a direct question for the Prime Minister: given that this theft of donations took place right under your nose, why did you choose to become complicit in this sin by offering your tacit consent?" Ramesh said.
Upping the ante over the Ram temple donation theft case, the Congress on Monday had questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and asserted that it is the responsibility of the country's citizens to punish the "chanda chors blinded by the arrogance of power".
Ramesh had demanded that full accounting of offerings at the temple be made public, roles of all responsible persons investigated, and no official be spared accountability.
Earlier this month, the Congress alleged that the likes of former general secretary of the Ram Temple trust Champat Rai were being shielded in the Ram temple donation theft probe and hit out at Prime Minister Modi over his "silence" on the issue, saying "arrogance of power is suicidal".
The opposition party had also asked why there was a 21-day delay in filing an FIR after a video regarding the stolen amount reached Rai on June 4.
The Congress has raised an array of questions about the investigation into the theft of donations at the Ram temple by the SIT and said only an impartial and transparent probe under the Supreme Court's supervision can reveal the truth.
The opposition party has also questioned Prime Minister Modi's silence on the issue, saying it implies that the thieves "enjoy his protection".
The Congress's persistent attack on the BJP comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly polls early next year.
(With Inputs from PTI)