'Devotees feel betrayed': Rahul Gandhi, Kharge write to PM Modi, seek probe into Ram temple donation theft

Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress’s Leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively, on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an “independent and comprehensive” probe into the alleged theft of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya and calling his continued silence on the issue “unacceptable.”“Your silence now in the face of such a crime is unacceptable. It is your duty to ensure accountability and restitution.” They said the credibility of the government and the Trust rests on “how transparently and swiftly you act,” and that “the people of India are watching,” the two leaders wrote in the letter.The letter comes close to a month after an FIR was registered on June 25 over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations, following which the Trust’s general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned, citing moral responsibility. The Uttar Pradesh government has since extended the tenure of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter by 15 days.Kharge and Gandhi noted that Modi had announced the formation of the Trust in Parliament on the directions of the Supreme Court, but that its members “have been solely appointed” by his government. They said it is “public knowledge” that Trust members are affiliated with the RSS, the VHP and its affiliates, and that its “disgraced” former general secretary was Modi’s “close associate.” The Congress leaders demanded that the Trust’s financial affairs, including the handling of cash, gold and silver offerings, be investigated and the findings, along with the Trust’s accounts, be made public. They said “all those found responsible must be held accountable, irrespective of position or influence.”The Trust was set up in February 2020 after the Supreme Court, in its November 2019 verdict, directed the Centre to constitute a body within three months for the construction of the temple at the disputed site.According to the SIT’s preliminary findings, nearly 70 instances of theft took place over roughly 40 days, with footage reportedly showing individuals removing cash while counting donations. Eight people, including Champat Rai’s former driver Ram Shankar Yadav, have been arrested so far.The letter is the second such communication to the PM’s office this month. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal earlier wrote to Modi alleging that preliminary investigations pointed to a “well-organised network” behind the embezzlement and sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe.At a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress spokesperson Shakti Singh Gohil went further, demanding the dissolution of the Trust, the arrest of Champat Rai, and the constitution of a fresh Trust comprising Shankaracharyas and seers. Gohil also flagged a Trust land purchase of ₹18 crore for a plot he said was earlier valued at ₹2.93 crore.The donation controversy is not the first time the Trust’s finances have come under scrutiny. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had earlier flagged a separate land deal in Ayodhya, alleging that a plot bought for ₹2 crore changed hands within minutes for ₹18.5 crore, and sought a CBI and Enforcement Directorate probe, terming it a case of money laundering. The Trust had rejected those charges as “misleading and politically motivated.”CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas separately urged the Centre to reconsider its position that the Trust is not a public authority under the Right to Information Act, saying this would serve transparency.The row has also spilled into the states. In Karnataka, the state Congress unit passed a resolution seeking a CBI probe into the matter, alleging that the Trust had failed to maintain proper accounts and that some trustees and staff members had systematically diverted funds meant for the temple’s construction.The Trust and the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government have pushed back against the allegations. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has dismissed the opposition’s charges as an attempt to “defame” Ayodhya and the Ram Janmabhoomi, and has visited the city twice since the controversy erupted to review the investigation and ongoing development work.Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri, distancing himself from the row ahead of a Trust meeting earlier this month, said he had no role in the daily donation process, that audit reports are “safe” and open to any authorised person, and that the SIT and judiciary should be trusted to identify the culprits.The Trust has, since its formation, received donations running into thousands of crores of rupees from devotees and governments; Congress has cited this scale of public faith to argue that accountability cannot be deferred any further.