The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the financial records of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust be made public and the investigation into the alleged theft of donations and offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya be expanded to cover all those responsible for its construction and management.
The party also called for a probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court, asserting that accountability should not be confined to the eight employees arrested in the case and that anyone found guilty should face action under the law.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that people affiliated with the BJP, RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had controlled the management of the trust, temple construction, collection of donations and offerings, and their subsequent deposit in banks.
"Chanda Chori, Aastha Dhokha," Ramesh said, alleging that those who controlled these activities could not evade responsibility for the alleged theft.
He said allegations of irregularities and misappropriation had been raised as early as 2021 by Mahipal Singh, a former accounts in-charge associated with the RSS who had been sent to the temple for service. According to Ramesh, Singh had informed trust office-bearers Champat Rai and Gopal Rao after discovering the alleged theft, but was removed instead of action being taken against those responsible.
Ramesh questioned how Rai and Rao could be excluded from the list of accused despite the allegations having surfaced several years ago.
The Congress leader also referred to media reports quoting Dinanath Verma, an engineer involved in the temple construction, as alleging that a 40 per cent commission had been demanded for work related to the trust office. Verma had reportedly said he played an audio recording of the alleged demand to Rai, following which he was removed from the project. Ramesh asked whether Rai had been questioned in connection with the allegation.
He further questioned why Rai, Anil Mishra and Rao had been named as witnesses rather than accused in the chargesheet, despite allegations that they had been informed about irregularities.
Citing media reports, Ramesh said accused Anukalp Mishra had links with the Bajrang Dal and an RSS shakha, and pointed to Rai's reported attendance at a Bhagwat Katha event associated with him on April 30, 2026. He also said Subhash Srivastava, who was in charge of staff counting donations, had hosted an RSS shakha at his residence.
Ramesh alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had held Srivastava responsible for handing over the keys to donation boxes to unauthorised persons. He also referred to reports alleging that another accused, Tinnu Yadav, had worked as Rai's driver.
Questioning the recruitment process for staff handling donations, Ramesh said advertisements had been issued and committees formed for the selection and training of priests, but no advertisements or interviews had been held for appointments to the counting room, where large sums of money were received every week.
He asked whether those who had allegedly placed their associates in positions handling donations should also have been named as accused.
Ramesh also questioned the transparency surrounding the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the formation of the trust in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2020, but alleged that the selection criteria and deliberations had never been made public.
He asked why Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, whom he accused of taking credit for the temple project, had remained silent on the alleged theft of offerings.
Referring to Adityanath's statement in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that the government had constituted an SIT at the trust's request, Ramesh questioned why the initial SIT report had been handed to the same trust whose office-bearers faced allegations, but had not been made public.
The Congress demanded that the full account of donations and offerings received in the name of Lord Ram be disclosed, the investigation widened and all those found guilty held accountable.
"No position, political access, or organisational patronage can shield anyone from accountability," Ramesh said.
(With inputs from PTI)
