Ram Temple donation fund row: Congress demands time-bound investigation by High Court judge

New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday demanded a time-bound probe by a sitting judge of a high court into the alleged siphoning off devotees' offerings from the donation boxes at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Commenting on the matter that was recently raised by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, the main opposition party claimed that the matter involved "an organised loot of ₹200 crore" and rejected the special investigation team (SIT) probe instituted by the Yogi Adityanath government, saying the officer chosen to head the SIT himself was under the scanner in connection with the stampede at the last Kumbh mela.

Raising the issue at the All India Congress Committee presser, UP Congress president Ajay Rai also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that people close to him and RSS-BJP constitute the trust that runs the affairs of the Ram temple.

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"The nation's faith has been betrayed by BJP-RSS. Today, faith is being sold and traded in the name of religion. The information emerging regarding Shri Ram Janmabhoomi shows that there has been an organised loot, involving high-profile individuals, and this is being stated by a former BJP MP himself," Rai said. "Nripendra Mishra, a retired bureaucrat who served as Narendra Modi's principal secretary for five years and three months, was appointed chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust. Gopal Rao, a member of the trust, has already been controversial. Champat Rai has gone with the wealth. People with RSS backgrounds, including Anil Mishra, were given positions in the trust."

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Congress leader in UP assembly Aradhana Mishra accused BJP of running a "vyapar" (trade) in the name of Lord Ram at Ayodhya. He said the latest charge of irregularities in handling the devotees' offering was a very serious matter, adding that BJP and its affiliates had earlier collected donations in the name of Ram temple movement. She also referred to the past controversy regarding the authorities allegedly unlocking the Army-owned lands in areas near the temple, resulting in various business houses making a beeline for purchasing them.