New Delhi | Updated: July 5, 2026
The Congress on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP and RSS over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the controversy reflected what he called the BJP’s politics of “vote chori, seat chori, chanda chori.”
Ramesh claimed that donations worth thousands of crores had been siphoned off and demanded an inquiry monitored by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
He also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the matter.
Ramesh said the prime minister had taken credit for the construction and inauguration of the Ram Temple on January 22, 2024, and should now make a public statement on the controversy.
The Congress leader also criticized the RSS response to the issue, calling it disgraceful and shameful. He alleged that an organization that claims to stand for integrity and nationalism had failed to address the seriousness of the allegations.
Ramesh linked the alleged donation irregularities to the BJP’s past funding practices and referred to the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme.
He alleged that the “chanda business” had become part of the BJP’s political culture and accused the party of using donations for political benefit.
The Congress leader also claimed that members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust were closely linked to the BJP-RSS ecosystem.
He questioned whether senior BJP and RSS leaders were unaware of what had allegedly happened in connection with the donations.
Ramesh also raised questions over the role of the former principal secretary to the prime minister, Nripendra Mishra, saying the system appeared to be a tightly connected ecosystem.
The alleged embezzlement came to light after a special investigation team constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its preliminary findings.
An FIR was registered in the case on June 25.
Police have arrested eight accused so far. Investigators have also recovered nearly ₹80 lakh in cash, along with some foreign currency, from six of the accused.
The investigation remains underway.
Reiterating the Congress stand, Ramesh alleged that the case was a scam carried out by the BJP-RSS ecosystem and again demanded strict action against all those found guilty.
