Congress questions PM’s silence over alleged theft of Ram temple donation

Congress president Akhilesh Pratap Singh addresses a press conference on the Ayodhya Ram temple donation on June 27, 2026. | Photo credit: X/@INCIndia

The Congress on Saturday (June 27, 2026) stepped up its attack on the Union and Uttar Pradesh governments over the alleged misappropriation of donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue.

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The party reiterated its demand to dissolve the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The prime minister owed an explanation to devotees across the country as the Trust was set up by the Union government and its members were appointed under its supervision, senior Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said at a press conference in New Delhi.

“The whole nation, especially those who believe in Sanatan Dharma, want to know who stole donations worth thousands of crores of rupees,” Mr Singh said.

Despite serious allegations against members of the Trust, no action was taken against them, he claimed.

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The Congress demanded the dissolution of the Trust and the arrest of all those facing prima facie charges to ensure an impartial investigation.

Mr. Singh also called for an inquiry under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.

Reports of irregularities have surfaced since the temple’s construction began, he claimed, citing land acquisition disputes in Ayodhya as well as alleged misuse of donations.

Internal investigations commissioned by the Trust into earlier allegations were ignored, he said, questioning the removal of money counting agent Mahipal Singh after he allegedly flagged up irregularities.

The CCTV cameras were removed and their footage deleted, Mr Singh also claimed.

“The trust has lost the trust of the people. The daily donations reportedly dropped from ₹ 10 lakh-₹ 15 lakh to about ₹ 80,000 following reports of the alleged theft,” he said.

Speaking to reporters in Kerala’s Wayanad, Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the allegations as “tragic” and “shameful” and said people from across the country had donated to the temple out of faith.

“People from all over the country, those who believe and those who have faith, have given donations and now those donations have been stolen. It’s tragic, it’s shameful and the government needs to find out what happened, how it happened and why it happened,” she said.

The responsibility also rested with those who spearheaded national giving, Mrs. Gandhi said.

“Women gave from their savings, poor people contributed from their homes. These are not just funds from big corporations, they were collected from ordinary citizens. If you collected them, it is your responsibility to keep them safe,” she said.

The Congress also accused the government of applying different standards, claiming that while opposition leaders were subjected to investigations by central agencies on “minor suspicions”, no comparable action was taken against those facing charges in the Ram temple donation case.

Published – 27 Jun 2026 19:10 IST