Congress terms donation theft at Ayodhya Ram Temple a ‘maha paap’, questions PM’s silence

Stepping up its attack over the alleged embezzlement of donations to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Congress on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) described the episode as a ”maha paap“ (cardinal sin). The Opposition questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue, saying he must accept responsibility for the Trust that oversaw the temple after claiming credit for its construction and consecration.

Also read | Ayodhya Temple donation theft will have long-term consequences for the Sangh Parivar

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the alleged theft was “not merely a donation scam but an attack on the faith of over one billion Hindus”.

“This isn’t just some donation theft or scam. This is a maha paap, an attack on the faith of Hindus all over the world,” Ms. Shrinate said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh were attempting to shield senior functionaries of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust while action had been confined to lower-level employees, she alleged.

Demanding that the alleged irregularities be investigated under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, she argued that the Uttar Pradesh government could not conduct an impartial probe.

The Congress also demanded that the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) be made public; the Trust be dissolved; First Information Reports be registered against its office-bearers; and an independent audit be conducted of all donations received since the Trust’s inception.

“When the theft has indeed taken place inside the Ram Temple, what is the government trying to hide? The SIT report should be uploaded on a public website so that every citizen can know the truth,” Ms. Shrinate said, questioning the government’s refusal to release the SIT report. 

The CCTV footage available to investigators, reportedly covering around 40 days and documenting about 70 instances of theft, represented only a fraction of the alleged misappropriation, the Congress spokesperson alleged.

“Who will account for the previous five-and-a-half years?” she said.

Referring to reports that about ₹80 lakh had been recovered, Ms. Shrinate questioned where the remaining donations had gone. It was implausible that employees earning modest salaries could have orchestrated the alleged operation without the involvement of higher authorities, she said. 

Standard operating procedures jointly framed by the Trust and the State Bank of India for handling donations had not been followed and complaints by whistle-blowers had been ignored, she also alleged.

Targeting Mr. Modi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister’s “silence” on the alleged “loot” amounted to “a direct assault on the religious faith of crores of people”. 

The Union government had constituted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust without transparency, filled it with members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and kept it outside the purview of the Right to Information Act, he alleged.

Eight people have been arrested on the basis of the SIT’s findings after the State government constituted the inquiry following complaints of alleged misappropriation of temple donations.