The Congress on Thursday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over allegations of embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and alleged that attempts were being made to shield those responsible by taking action against lower-level employees.
Addressing a press conference , Congress leader Surinder Rajput said Modi could not escape responsibility in the alleged donation embezzlement case as it was his government that had constituted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to oversee the temple's affairs.
Alleging that a few "small fish" were being used to protect the "big fish", Rajput said suspicion also pointed towards the RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
"In the donation-embezzlement issue, a few small fish are being used as bait to protect the big fish. In this entire matter, the needle of suspicion also points towards the RSS and the VHP, and we demand answers from them," he said.
Rajput noted that Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple and performed the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony.
"When a big sin of stealing the offerings has been committed, Prime Minister Modi should clarify. The Ram temple is a matter of faith for crores of people and the prime minister, the RSS and the VHP cannot escape responsibility," he said.
He also demanded that the BJP clarify whether it had any role in the alleged donation embezzlement and questioned why the temple trust had been kept outside the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
"If the trust is entirely religious, why were only people connected to the BJP-RSS placed in it? The prime minister will have to answer these questions," he said.
In a series of posts on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that, apart from the reported theft of offerings at the Ram temple, several irregularities related to land purchases and the construction of the temple had also come to light.
"After the theft of offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya came to light, several major irregularities related to land purchase and construction have also surfaced.
"Despite all this, Prime Minister Modi remains silent and the entire BJP-RSS apparatus is attempting to protect the big fish by taking action against a few small employees," Ramesh alleged.
Announcing a nationwide campaign on the issue, Ramesh said the Congress would hold press conferences across the country on Friday and over the weekend.
"Fund theft, betrayal of faith. The trustees of the Ram temple, selected by the prime minister and associated with the BJP-RSS, have been accused of serious allegations of donation theft and fraud. This has deeply hurt the religious faith of crores of countrymen.
"Since the trustees were selected by the Modi government, it is responsible for their actions. Therefore, the prime minister cannot shirk accountability and responsibility by remaining silent," he said.
Ramesh said senior Congress leaders and spokespersons would address press conferences in cities including Chandigarh, Jammu, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chennai and Coimbatore on Friday, with the campaign expanding to more than 50 cities over the next two days.
The Congress leader said the party would use the campaign to raise questions over the alleged fundraising scam, the accountability of the temple trust, the Prime Minister's responsibility and what he described as the Modi government's "double standards."
The BJP and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust were yet to respond to the Congress' allegations.
(With inputs from PTI)
