NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday questioned the alleged links of people accused in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case with the BJP, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), accusing the organisations of evading responsibility despite their members being involved in the temple’s construction and management.In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that people associated with the BJP, RSS and VHP were in charge of the temple trust, construction work, donation collection, counting of offerings and their deposit in banks.He demanded that the investigation be widened beyond the eight employees arrested in the case and that the role of everyone responsible for the temple’s functioning be examined under the Supreme Court’s supervision.“Stolen donations, betrayed faith,” Ramesh wrote, adding that those who oversaw the different stages of the donation process “cannot shirk responsibility for the theft of offerings”.The Congress leader also called for the publication of all financial records and a complete account of donations and offerings received at the temple in the name of Lord Ram.
Ramesh cites earlier complaints, questions role of trust officials
Ramesh referred to allegations made in 2021 by Mahipal Singh, a former accounts officer associated with the RSS who was sent to the temple to serve. According to the Congress leader, Singh had detected alleged irregularities in the handling of offerings and reported them to temple trust officials Champat Rai and Gopal Rao.Ramesh alleged that Singh was removed instead of action being taken against those responsible. He questioned why Rai and Gopal Rao were witnesses rather than accused in the chargesheet, given the earlier complaints.He also cited media reports about Deenanath Verma, the engineer overseeing construction, who allegedly claimed that a 40 per cent commission was demanded for work at the trust office. Verma reportedly played an audio recording of the alleged demand to Rai, after which he was removed from the project, Ramesh said.The Congress leader questioned whether Rai had been directly questioned over the allegation.Ramesh further referred to reported organisational links of some of the accused. He alleged that Anukalp Mishra had links with the Bajrang Dal and an RSS shakha, and said Rai had attended Mishra’s Bhagwat Katha on April 30, 2026.He also cited media reports that Subhash Srivastava, who was in charge of the counting staff, used to run an RSS shakha at his home. The SIT has reportedly held Srivastava responsible for handing over the keys to donation boxes to unauthorised people. Ramesh also alleged that another accused, Tinnu Yadav, had worked as Rai’s driver.Questioning the recruitment process, Ramesh said advertisements were issued and selection and training committees formed for the appointment of priests, but there was no advertisement or interview process for staff in the room where donations worth crores of rupees were counted every week. He asked why those who allegedly appointed their associates had not been named as accused.
Congress questions PM Modi, Adityanath over trust and investigation
Ramesh also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over their response to the allegations.He recalled that PM Modi had announced the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2020. Ramesh alleged that the process had been handled personally by the prime minister and that details of the selection criteria and deliberations had not been made public.He asked why the prime minister and chief minister, whom he accused of seeking credit for the temple, had remained silent over the alleged theft of donations.The Congress leader also questioned the handling of the Special Investigation Team’s findings. Referring to Adityanath’s statement in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that the government had formed the SIT following a request from the trust, Ramesh asked whether the first report had been handed to the same trust whose office-bearers were facing allegations of corruption.He demanded that the report be made public, questioning why it remained undisclosed if it had been shared with people facing allegations.“The biggest question is why all the suspects and accused have links only to the BJP, RSS and Vishva Hindu Parishad?” he wrote.
SIT chargesheet names eight accused in donation case
The allegations come after the SIT filed a nearly 70,000-page chargesheet against eight arrested people in the temple donation embezzlement case.The chargesheet names Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu. The case was registered in June after the preliminary investigation flagged suspected diversion of temple donations.The SIT reportedly identified 105 instances of unauthorised removal or concealment of cash during the counting process inside the temple premises. Investigators recovered Rs 79.85 lakh in cash allegedly linked to the embezzlement from the accused, except Srivastava.The chargesheet includes allegations of criminal breach of trust and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It contains statements from nearly 190 witnesses, banking records, property details, asset trails and findings from a forensic audit.The SIT also examined the movement of donations from collection boxes and counters to bank deposits. Investigators found evidence of cash being siphoned off during counting but no signs of pilferage during its transfer to banks.
Congress demands public disclosure of financial records
Ramesh said accountability should not be confined to the eight employees arrested in the case. He called for an investigation into everyone involved in the temple’s construction, management and donation-handling system, under the supervision of the Supreme Court.“The Congress demands that all financial records be made public, the scope of the investigation be expanded and everyone found guilty be dealt with according to the law,” he wrote.
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“The country must be given a full accounting of the donations and offerings received in the name of Lord Shri Ram. No position, political access or organisational protection can shield anyone from accountability.”The donation case has also drawn criticism from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. In an X post on Tuesday, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said his party would seek to restore Ayodhya’s dignity through transparent management if it came to power in the 2027 Assembly elections.Yadav alleged that the donation theft had hurt devotees’ faith and affected the number of pilgrims visiting the temple town, with consequences for Ayodhya’s local economy. He also promised better infrastructure, religious tourism facilities and greater opportunities for local contractors and residents.
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