Ram Mandir donation theft: Congress to raise issue in Parliament; seek statement from PM, Shah

With the monsoon session of Parliament set to commence on 20 July, the Congress has stepped up its attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre over the embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, describing it as not only a major corruption scandal but also an assault on the faith of Hindus.

Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the Opposition would raise the issue during the upcoming session.

“Every issue concerning the people of this country will be raised by the Opposition in Parliament. The Ram Mandir donation issue is one of the biggest corruption issues in the country,” Venugopal said.

Targeting organisations associated with the temple movement, he alleged that “the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad are responsible for this theft”. “Now they are saying they are disturbed by it. That is quite astonishing,” he added.

The Congress has argued that the controversy goes beyond financial irregularities. “This is not just a corruption issue; it is also an attack on the faith of Hindus,” Venugopal said while demanding accountability from the Centre.

The party has sought a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the alleged theft of donations from the Ayodhya Ram Temple and has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah make statements on the issue in Parliament during the Monsoon Session.

It is worth mentioning here that as part of its nationwide campaign, the Congress organised around 50 press conferences across the country over four days, seeking answers from the Prime Minister over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.

The campaign began with simultaneous press conferences in cities including Chandigarh, Jammu, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chennai and Coimbatore before expanding to other locations. On one day, the party held 26 press conferences.

Over the past four days, Congress leaders have held 50 press conferences across various cities in the country.

"What does Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mysterious silence signify regarding the meticulously planned charity theft carried out by the BJP-RSS in the Lord Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the betrayal of public trust? Why is he so eager to aid the charity thieves?" asked Jariram Ramesh.

Meanwhile, the controversy has reached the Supreme Court. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday, 13 July, issued notice to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on petitions seeking a probe into the donations row. The court also directed the Uttar Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT) to submit a status report on its investigation.

The apex court was hearing separate petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry and protection of electronic evidence related to the alleged embezzlement of donations at the temple.

Among the petitions is one filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh, seeking disclosure of the complete financial records of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, including details of foreign contributions.

The plea has been tagged with two other petitions on the matter.

The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted an SIT on June 13 following allegations of misappropriation of cash and valuables donated at the temple. The SIT submitted a preliminary report to the state government on June 23.

Following the probe, an FIR was registered and eight people were arrested, including Tinnu Yadav, the driver of former trust general secretary Champat Rai.

In his statement to the SIT, Rai reportedly alleged that the State Bank of India had failed to implement basic safeguards during cash-handling operations, including frisking of counting staff, the use of pocketless uniforms and other standard security protocols required for high-value cash management.

The SIT's preliminary findings also flagged repeated violations of security procedures during the counting of donations and examined whether lapses in supervision may have facilitated the alleged embezzlement.

The issue is expected to become a major flashpoint between the Opposition and the government during the monsoon session, with the Congress seeking to portray the controversy as both a corruption scandal and a breach of public trust associated with one of Hinduism's most significant religious sites.