New Delhi, July 7: The Congress on Monday described the alleged donation embezzlement at the Ram Temple as a “serious blow to the faith of millions of Indians”, saying it has exposed the conduct, character and true face of the BJP and the RSS.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanded the immediate dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is responsible for managing the temple and called for the constitution of a new trust comprising the country’s Shankaracharyas, religious leaders, saints, and other spiritual representatives.
He also reiterated the demand for the impartial probe under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.
Gehlot also said that, just as the Electoral Bonds data had to be made public following the Supreme Court’s directions, the complete details of all offerings received by the Shri Ram Temple— in cash, gold, silver, and other forms — should also be disclosed publicly.
Calling the ongoing investigation an attempt as a coverup, the senior Congress leader said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally taken credit for every aspect of the Shri Ram Mandir project, he could not evade accountability after the alleged scam had come to light.
He also urged the Prime Minister to break his silence and address the nation on the issue.
The former Chief Minister alleged that the structure of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had been flawed from the very beginning.
He claimed that individuals associated with the BJP, the RSS, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had taken unilateral control of the trust without any clear mechanism for accountability.
He further alleged that those concerned had prior knowledge of the alleged theft of offerings but chose to suppress the matter.
Gehlot also questioned the trust’s recent claim that the matter was one of negligence rather than theft.
He asked that if it was merely negligence, why was there a need to register an FIR, constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT), make arrests, and accept resignations.
He said both the trust and the BJP government owed the public complete transparency, but were instead attempting to cover up the issue and demanded that the SIT report be made public.
The Congress leader further targeted the trust’s treasurer over his reported remarks on the issue.
Gehlot said that after the alleged theft came to light, the treasurer claimed to be only a “dummy” and stated that he had no knowledge of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and had not signed any cheques.
He also recalled that a major land purchase controversy had surfaced at the very beginning, when land allegedly worth Rs 2 crore was purchased by the trust for Rs 18 crore within a matter of minutes.
The Congress leader said that the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram is deeply connected with the religious faith and emotions of millions of devotees across the country, and that the BJP-RSS had caused a serious dent to those sentiments.
He said people had contributed their hard-earned money towards the construction of the temple, and that the issue of the alleged embezzlement of offerings had now reached villages and households across the country, generating widespread anger and resentment.
Responding to a question, Gehlot sharply criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks, and said it was a misconception to believe that only BJP-RSS supporters had contributed towards the temple.
He asserted that the Shri Ram Temple belongs to the entire nation.
“After the Supreme Court’s verdict, he said, citizens from across the country—including Congress supporters, Samajwadi Party supporters, and people from all walks of life—had contributed donations for its construction,” Gehlot added.
