Congress steps up Ram Temple campaign, asks Modi to answer for alleged donation theft

The Congress on Saturday (July 11, 2026) intensified its campaign over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, holding 26 press conferences across the country and demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the issue.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that the Prime Minister was “directly answerable to the nation” as he had taken political ownership of the temple project. “This is not just theft of money, but a betrayal of the faith of millions of devotees,” he said.

‘Key functionaries must be held responsible’

The party reiterated its demand for the immediate arrest of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and other functionaries, contending that those responsible for managing the trust had escaped scrutiny.

“None of them have been named in the FIR or mentioned in the SIT report. Merely arresting small-time officials will not work. Responsibility must be fixed where it needs to be fixed,” Mr. Singhvi said.

Accusing the BJP of shielding those responsible, he said, “Under the BJP, no institution and no temple is safe. Ujjain witnessed a land scam, while Ayodhya has seen theft of donations.”

Calling the special investigation team (SIT) probe an attempt at a “cover-up”, Mr. Singhvi questioned why no action had been taken against “people like Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, Gopal Rai and Krishna Mohan”. “The real question is not who committed the theft, but who allowed it to happen and under whose patronage the accused were working,” he said.

The Congress also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored judicial inquiry, a forensic audit of all donations received since the temple was opened, and a restructuring of the trust to include eminent citizens and civil society representatives instead of what Mr. Singhvi described as “handpicked BJP and RSS members”.

In a separate post on X, Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh said the party has proposed 13 more press conferences on Sunday. “The trustees chosen by [Narendra] Modi ji have been proven guilty of stealing offerings, but the veils are yet to be lifted from the faces of the true masterminds behind this entire scandal,” Mr. Ramesh said.