Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an independent and comprehensive investigation into the financial affairs of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The letter, released on Sunday, comes a day before the Monsoon session of Parliament is set to begin.
The letter highlights the alleged theft of thousands of crores from the Trust, which was set up by the Prime Minister on the instructions of the Supreme Court of India. The Congress leaders stated that the members of the Trust were entirely selected by the government, and many of them are affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). They also mentioned that the Trust’s disgraced former General Secretary was a close associate of the Prime Minister.
Kharge and Gandhi urged the Prime Minister to order an independent investigation into the financial affairs of the Trust, including the handling of all offerings, including cash, gold, and silver. They also demanded that the findings and the Trust’s accounts be made public, so that every devotee knows how their offerings have been utilized. The Congress leaders emphasized that all those found responsible must be held accountable, irrespective of position or influence.
The alleged theft of donations offered at the Ram temple surfaced in the first week of June and has led to the arrest of eight people and the resignation of two senior functionaries from the Trust. The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. The SIT report has revealed systemic failures in supervision, security, and cash-handling procedures, which enabled the alleged thefts.
The Congress leaders have accused the Prime Minister of silence in the face of the alleged crime, stating that it is his duty to ensure accountability and restitution. They have also warned that the credibility of the central government and the Trust rests on how transparently and swiftly they act. The people of India are watching, they said.
The widening probe has brought under scrutiny around 30 more employees engaged in counting cash offerings, many of whom were allegedly hired on the recommendations of functionaries of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust or their associates. Investigators are examining the backgrounds of these employees and whether any of them accumulated assets disproportionate to their known sources of income after joining the cash-counting operation.
