Pot calling the kettle black: Cong slams VHP letter to police on claims made by opposition leaders on donations

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday slammed the VHP after it wrote to Ayodhya police over the claims made by several opposition leaders on the alleged donation theft at the Ram temple, saying it is a classic case of "the pot calling the kettle black" and an attempt to divert attention so that the organisation's own "moral rot" is not exposed.

The opposition party's attack came after the VHP wrote to the Ayodhya police, urging it to examine the claims made by several opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and summon them to substantiate the allegations.

Also read: Ram Temple Trust will meet on July 7 to decide future action: VHP chief


Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the VHP's letter attacking opposition leaders in the Ram Temple theft case is a "classic case of the pot calling the kettle black".

The same VHP that had in the past faced allegations by the Nirmohi Akhara of a "Rs 1,400 crore Ram Mandir scam" is demanding that Opposition leaders who questioned the alleged loot be interrogated, he said on X.

"The demand is as absurd as it is shameless. Having itself come under the scanner, the VHP has neither the moral authority nor the credibility to point fingers at the Opposition," Venugopal said.

"Afterall, Temple Trust was set up by PM Modi; Trust General Secretary- Champat Rai, VHP Vice President and RSS Pracharak; Trust Chairman Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, awarded Padma Bushan by the BJP; Central and State Government -- BJP-ruled. Then, how are Priyanka ji, Akhilesh ji or other opposition leaders even relevant to this matter?" he said.

The truth is that the VHP and the Sangh Parivar stand completely discredited, he claimed.

"The controversial Ram Temple movement has long been dogged by allegations of Chanda Chori, and the latest reports have once again exposed that these self-proclaimed 'saviors' of Hindus have nothing to do with religion or Lord Ram. They only exploit devotees' faith and misuse Lord Ram's name for political and financial gain," Venugopal further alleged.

If the VHP is genuinely concerned about the sanctity of the Ram Mandir, why has it not demanded action against those within its own ranks who ran this "mega-racket", he asked.

Why is it silent on the BJP leadership that claimed full credit for the temple's construction but is now conspicuously absent when the Trust appointed by them is itself under scrutiny, Venugopal asked.

"Having been cornered by serious questions and left red-faced, they are now trying to create a spectacle, feign innocence, twist facts, intimidate critics and divert attention so that their own moral rot and ethical bankruptcy is not exposed," he said.

"We reiterate our demand for an independent, Supreme Court-monitored probe. The current SIT is no more than an elaborate mechanism to protect the plunderers of Ram Mandir," Venugopal said.

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera on Sunday said new allegations are surfacing and fresh evidence is coming to light every day regarding the "theft" of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Today, Alok Kumar of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) wrote to the investigating officer, asking that evidence of the theft be sought from Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and Ram Gopal Yadav," Khera had said in a video statement posted on X.

So, the implication is that one side commits the theft, while another is expected to provide the proof, he said.

"The truth is that they have no real intention of catching the thieves. As always, their only aim is to emotionally mislead Hindu society to further their own political interests," Khera had said.

Slamming the VHP, he said they should stop being the contractors of the Hindu community.

"They must remove the word Hindu from their organisations and then carry out as many robberies as they want. Do not spoil the name of the Hindu community and stop running your shops at their expense," he had said.

Also read: Allahabad High Court to hear plea seeking CBI probe into Ram Temple donation irregularity allegations

"Your intention is not to find out about the theft or to catch the thieves, your intention is what it was before the temple was built, that to make the Hindu community emotional and then rob them, snatch votes from them and now also snatch notes from them," Khera had said.

If they had to catch the thieves they would not have been demanding answers from Priyanka Gandhi, he had said.

The RSS affiliate has demanded that action be taken against them if it is found that they have made "wild allegations" intended to create and promote feelings of "hatred, ill will and enmity".

In a letter dated July 4 to Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari, the investigating officer in the case, VHP international president Alok Kumar said the leaders have made specific allegations that have been widely circulated through television channels, social media platforms and other electronic media.

The VHP urged the investigating officer to call them to disclose the factual basis of their claims, the source of their information and any documents or material supporting them.