Congress asks why Trust officials are witnesses, not accused in Ram Temple case

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday attacked the BJP after charges reportedly could not be framed against the accused for the third time in the Ram temple donation theft case, asking why are former temple trust officials like Champat Rai and Anil Mishra witnesses instead of accused and when will the role of “big people” be investigated.

The opposition party also asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is “always at the forefront of taking credit” for the temple, now backing away from accountability.

In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “‘Chanda Chori, Aastha Dhokha’. We have been stating from day one that the BJP government wants to protect the real big thieves. Now, in the Ram Mandir donation theft case, charges could not be framed against eight accused for the third time either. The accused appeared via video conferencing, but the demand to provide video footage and audio remains pending.”

“The question is, whose secrets will be exposed if the full video footage and audio of the Ram Mandir come to light? There is suspicion in the minds of the people of the country that the complete footage and audio could reveal crucial secrets related to the theft of donations and the complicity of ‘big people’,” Ramesh said.

The country wants to know what is recorded in these recordings and why there is a delay in making them available, he said.

Ramesh pointed out that 105 instances of donation money being removed were captured on CCTV.

“Warnings from the 2020 audit were issued, a video of the theft surfaced on June 4, and an FIR was registered on June 25. Even today, accountability for the entire system has not been fixed. Why is that?” the Congress general secretary said.

Why are BJP governments showing such keen interest in protecting people connected to RSS-VHP-BJP, he asked.

“Don’t they have any sense of shame? Don’t they fear the public, who are like God?” Ramesh said.

“We ask again: Why are trust officials like Champat Rai and Anil Mishra witnesses instead of accused? When will the role of big responsible people be investigated? Will the responsibility for the theft be limited just to eight employees?” he said.

The Congress’s demand is clear that an independent and impartial investigation of the entire case should be conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, he said.

“The audit warnings, CCTV footage, financial transactions, and the role of trust officials should be investigated. A full accounting of the donations received in the name of Shri Ram should be placed before the country,” Ramesh said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is always at the forefront of taking credit for the Shri Ram Mandir, why is he now backing away from accountability for the donation theft? The donations came in the name of Shri Ram. An accounting must be given, and accountability must be fixed. Not silence—answers are needed,” he asserted.

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.

The Congress has alleged that the likes of 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 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.