Ram Temple Donation Controversy Congress Ayodhya Fund Allegations Probe

The Congress on Tuesday broke its silence on the allegations of irregularities in donation funds to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was “responsible” for it and that while “big people” were involved in this “robbery”, “smaller officials” were being targeted.

The allegations were made by UP Congress president Ajay Rai and Leader of Congress Legislative Party in UP Aradhana Misra Mona.

With the donation row turning into a sensitive issue in Ayodhya, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has begun a probe into the allegations.

“The atmosphere of faith was created by the BJP-RSS. There has been cheating on that. Faith has been sold. Those who came in the name of religion have bartered it. You can see the situation in relation to the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. There is robbery…that too, organised robbery. To say that some officials stole something; it is wrong. All the big people are involved,” Rai said, speaking at a press conference at the Congress office on Akbar Road.

“A former BJP MP said that if he named people in this case, high-profile people would be caught. He should name them and why not,” he added.

Targeting Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, and other members of the Trust, Rai said: “The most important person in the Ram Temple Trust is a retired bureaucrat Nripendra Mishra. He worked as a principal secretary in the PM’s office for five years. He was made the chairman of the Trust. If anyone is responsible, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi…”.

“The other people (in the Trust) are Gopal Rai, who is a controversial person. Then, there are Anil Mishra and Champat Rai. All those in the Trust are people associated with the PM. Then, some drivers and officials have been made to do all this. The SIT being formed is an admission that some fraud has happened… All the big fish should be caught and sent to jail,” Rai added.

He alleged that in the campaign to collect funds for the temple before its construction, there were irregularities to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore. “Where did that money go? That money was never accounted for. They stole money in the name of donations,” alleged Rai, adding that money was stolen in the name of Lord Ram.

He demanded that the SIT submit its report within a week. “A probe should be done by a sitting judge of a high court,” he added.

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More