New Delhi: Congress intensified its attack on the Uttar Pradesh government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday, demanding a wider, Supreme Court-supervised probe into the alleged theft of donations and offerings at the Ayodhya Ram temple. The party said financial transparency and accountability must extend beyond the eight employees already arrested, PTI reported.
In a Hindi post on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, “‘Chanda Chori, Aastha Dhokha’. From the management of the trust and the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to the collection of donations and offerings, and their subsequent deposit into the bank, individuals affiliated with the BJP, RSS, and VHP have been in control at every stage. Therefore, they cannot evade responsibility for the theft of these offerings.”
Ramesh argued that responsibility could not be confined to the eight arrested staff members. He said the investigation should examine everyone associated with the temple’s construction, administration and handling of offerings, under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
He also demanded that the trust’s complete financial records be placed before the public and that a detailed account be given of all money collected in the name of Lord Ram.
Old Complaints, New Questions
The Congress leader said allegations of irregularities were 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 “seva”.
“He alleges that upon discovering the theft in 2021, he informed Champat Rai and Gopal Rao. However, instead of taking action against those responsible, he was the one who was removed,” Ramesh said.
He questioned how Rai and Rao could be seen as uninvolved if such complaints had surfaced five years earlier. “Given this, how can it be argued that Rai and Rao were not involved in the theft over these five years, the Congress leader asked. Does this not constitute clear evidence of theft and plunder, facilitated by collusion from the top down, he further questioned.”
Ramesh also referred to media reports that Dinanath Verma, an engineer overseeing construction work, alleged that a 40 per cent commission was sought for work connected with the trust office. According to the Congress leader, Verma claimed he played an audio recording of the demand before Champat Rai, after which he was removed from the project.
“Has Champat Rai been directly questioned about this?” Ramesh asked.
He further said that if irregularities were already known, it was unclear why Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao appeared as witnesses rather than accused persons in the chargesheet.
Calls For Public Disclosure
Ramesh said media reports indicated that accused Anukalp Mishra had links with the Bajrang Dal and an RSS “shakha”. He noted that Champat Rai attended a “Bhagwat Katha” event associated with Mishra on April 30, 2026.
“Does this not amount to direct protection being provided to the thieves from the highest levels?” he asked.
The Congress leader also referred to reports that Subhash Srivastava, in charge of staff counting donations, hosted an RSS “shakha” at his residence. He said the SIT allegedly held Srivastava responsible for handing keys to donation boxes to unauthorized people, while accused Tinnu Yadav was reported to be Rai’s driver.
Ramesh questioned the recruitment process for the counting room, saying advertisements had been issued for priests and selection and training committees formed, but no advertisements or interviews were conducted for a room where “crores of rupees arrived every week”.
“Should those who orchestrated this misappropriation to install their own associates in these positions not also have been named as accused?” he asked.
Turning to the political leadership, Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of the trust in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2020, but that the process was conducted confidentially, with no public disclosure of selection criteria or deliberations.
“While the prime minister and the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) were at the forefront when it came to taking credit and posing for photographs, why have they remained consistently silent regarding the theft of temple offerings?” he asked.
He said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had told the state Assembly that an SIT was formed at the trust’s request. Ramesh asked why the initial SIT report was handed to the same trust whose office-bearers faced corruption allegations, while it remained unavailable to the public.
“The most significant question is: why are all the individuals under suspicion or accused linked to the BJP, the RSS, and the Vishva Hindu Parishad?” Ramesh said.
The Congress demanded that all financial records be made public, the investigation’s scope be expanded, and every person found guilty face legal consequences. Ramesh said no position, political access or organisational patronage should protect anyone from accountability.
