Nation Demanding Account Of Ram Temple Donations; 'Chanda Chors' Can't Evade Accountability: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday stepped up its attack on the Modi government over the Ram temple donations theft case, saying "chanda chors" (donation thieves) cannot evade accountability as the nation is demanding an account of the offerings and that the faith of the devotees does not grant anyone the right to evade accountability.

Slamming the BJP over the matter, the main opposition party at the Centre said the warnings flagged in the audits, the alleged commission-taking in contracts, the full extent of the misappropriation, and a complete accounting of all the valuable donations must be brought to light.

"Chanda Chori, Aastha Dhokha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ajay Singh Bisht—break your silence! The nation wants to know: who are the 'chanda chors'? Who are their accomplices? Why is there no impartial investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court?" Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.

How did the thefts continue despite repeated warnings, who is responsible, and why are the major culprits still being shielded, he asked.

Why was the audit firm's advice consigned to the trash bin, Ramesh further asked.

"A few months after the Trust was formed (February 5, 2020), a private audit firm provided advice in November 2020 regarding 'internal audit and risk management'. The firm explicitly stated: the management is 'highly unprofessional'; there is no clear definition of individual responsibilities. There is no systematic record of donations.

He recalled that the firm also warned about unprofessional staffing and poor data management and recommended the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for data handling, personnel and maintenance of a proper stock register for donations.

"Even years later, no SOPs have been implemented," he said.

Consequently, the Special Investigation Team (SIT)—formed by the government in 2026, "ostensibly to cover up the matter"—was forced to acknowledge that cash was removed from the counting room on 105 separate occasions, with employees deliberately standing in front of the cameras to obstruct the view, he said.

Ramesh also said that an engineer associated with the temple construction claimed that he was removed for raising a matter related to alleged financial irregularities.

Dinanath Verma alleged that he informed Champat Rai that a 40 per cent commission was being extracted from contracts, 'ghost workers' were being listed, and the quantities of materials were being inflated in the bills, he said.

Ramesh also flagged the issue of no receipts even for precious donations.

The investigation uncovered numerous instances of highly valuable items being donated, for which no receipts were ever issued to the donors, he said.

"When the risks were explicitly pointed out in writing as early as 2020, why was no action taken? Why was the person who raised the complaint the one who ended up being removed? And why were no receipts issued for the valuable donations made by the devotees?" Ramesh said.

"While the thieves continued their theft, those associated with the RSS-BJP—who once proclaimed, 'Main bhi chowkidar' remained fast asleep! This cannot be a mere coincidence!" he said.

The implication is clear that those entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the divine assets, that is, the oversight and 'watchmanship' of the Trust—deliberately allowed a situation to persist that raised serious questions regarding the security of the offerings and valuable donations, Ramesh said.

Was this merely negligence, or were the thieves being shielded, he asked.

An impartial investigation must be conducted to determine who was being protected, and which prominent individuals were complicit or involved, he demanded.

"The people of this country have no faith in an investigation conducted by your government's SIT. When, despite warnings, formal complaints, and 105 incidents captured on CCTV, serious questions remain regarding the role of those in positions of high responsibility, how can the entire matter be considered resolved simply by taking action against a few low-level employees?" Ramesh said.

The Congress party's demand is clear that there must be an independent and impartial investigation into the entire affair, conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, he said.

The warnings flagged in the audits, the alleged commission-taking in contracts, the full extent of the misappropriation, and a complete accounting of all the valuable donations must be brought to light," Ramesh said.

The full extent and details of the theft, which has been going on for six years, must be brought to light, he asserted.

The role of every responsible individual should be investigated, and the guilty must be punished in accordance with the law, Ramesh asserted.

"The nation is demanding an account of the offerings made in the name of Ram. The faith of the devotees does not grant anyone the right to evade accountability," Ramesh said.

Earlier this week, the Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of choosing to cover up the "sins of the thieves", who stole donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, instead of initiating a comprehensive investigation, and demanded that the PM break his silence on the issue.

The Congress has alleged that the likes of former general secretary of the Ram Temple trust Champat Rai were being shielded in the Ram temple donation theft probe and hit out at Prime Minister Modi over his "silence" on the issue, saying "arrogance of power is suicidal".

The opposition party had also asked why there was a 21-day delay in filing an FIR after a video regarding the stolen amount reached Rai on June 4.

The Congress has raised an array of questions about the SIT-led investigation into the theft of donations at the Ram temple, and said only an impartial and transparent probe under the Supreme Court's supervision can reveal the truth.

The opposition party has also questioned Prime Minister Modi's silence on the issue, saying it implies that the thieves "enjoy his protection".

The Congress's persistent attack on the BJP comes ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly polls early next year.