The Congress party has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the alleged donation theft issue related to the Ram Temple trust on the floor of the House. According to Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh, the Prime Minister had announced the setting up of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Parliament, and it is only appropriate that he takes the two Houses into confidence on what has happened. The Trust was set up by the Prime Minister and comprises people appointed by him.
However, the Trust’s activities have resulted in ‘aastha dhoka’ (betrayal of faith), with allegations of ‘chanda chori’ (donation theft) emerging. The Congress leader alleged that the Trust’s activities, its functions, and its terms of reference were given by Mr. Modi, and it is this Trust that has betrayed the faith of crores of Indians. The alleged embezzlement came to light last month, following which an SIT was constituted.
The investigation has so far led to the arrest of eight accused, the resignation of two Trust functionaries, and the recovery of cash allegedly siphoned off from temple donations. A preliminary nine-page report was submitted to the government on June 23, and the probe is continuing. The SIT may submit an interim report to the Supreme Court on July 20, 2026.
The Supreme Court has directed the SIT to submit a status report on its investigation while issuing notice to the Trust on petitions seeking a fair and time-bound probe into the alleged donation embezzlement. The probe has also come under the scrutiny of the apex court, with a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant seeking the status report from the SIT. The Congress party is expected to raise the Ram Temple donation issue in Parliament, along with opposing the delimitation Bill.
The party has been critical of the government’s handling of the issue and has demanded a court-monitored CBI probe, a forensic audit, and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the trust’s finances.
