New Delhi [India], October 27 (ANI): In a direct attack on the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the Congress party has demanded an independent, Supreme Court-supervised investigation into the alleged large-scale theft of donations and financial irregularities surrounding the Ram Temple Trust.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the prolonged silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Ajay Singh Bisht), alleging that top leaders and trust functionaries are being shielded while lower-level staff are being made scapegoats.
In a post on X, he pointed to warnings regarding extreme vulnerability and mismanagement that were flagged as early as November 2020—just months after the trust was established on February 5, 2020.
A private audit firm submitted a critical report on internal audit and risk management, identifying severe systemic flaws. Complete absence of a clear organisational structure or designated individual responsibilities. No systematic tracking of donations or verification procedures (second/third-level checks) for financial transactions and data entries. Thousands of workers operating without a formal HR department, alongside a lack of qualified accounting staff for bank reconciliation and zero safeguards or verification mechanisms for the IT company’s data management systems.
“Chanda Theft, Faith Betrayal Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ajay Singh Bisht—break your silence! The country wants to know: Who are the donation thieves? Who are the accomplices? Why no impartial investigation under the Supreme Court’s supervision? When warnings kept coming, how did the thefts continue unchecked? Who is responsible? Why are the big thieves still being protected even today? 1. Why was the audit firm’s advice tossed in the trash? A few months after the trust was formed (February 5, 2020), a private audit firm advised the trust in November 2020 on “internal audit and risk management.” The firm clearly stated: * Management is “highly unprofessional”; no one knows whose responsibility is what. * No systematic record of donations. * No second or third verification of transactions and data entry. * Thousands of employees, but no HR department. * No qualified staff for bank reconciliation and accounting. * No arrangements for security and verification of the IT company’s data,” Ramesh posted on X.
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2114915704172650926
The audit firm warned that unorganised data management and unqualified personnel would lead to misleading reporting and misrepresentation of funds. It explicitly recommended Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for every transaction and a strict stock register for priceless non-cash offerings, such as gold and silver jewellery.
Six years later, Ramesh pointed out, these SOPs remain unimplemented—enabling systemic theft. Even the state-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT) acknowledged that cash was unauthorizedly removed 105 times from the counting room, with employees intentionally standing in front of CCTV cameras to block line-of-sight.
“It warned that unprofessional staff and poor data management would lead to incorrect information and misleading reporting. It advised creating SOPs for every transaction, data, and staff, and maintaining a proper stock register for donations like jewelry. Even six years later, the SOPs have not been implemented. As a result, the SIT formed by the government in 2026 to cover things up also admitted that cash was withdrawn 105 times from the counting room, while employees stood in front of the cameras to block them,” he added.
The controversy expands beyond donation boxes into construction contracts. Dinanath Verma, an engineer previously associated with the temple’s construction projects, alleged that he officially alerted Trust General Secretary Champat Rai about widespread corruption. Verma reported: 40% commission markups being levied on construction contracts; Ghost workers (fake labourers) being logged into official registers; Inflated material costs submitted in official billing.
Rather than ordering an enquiry into the contractor-trustee ecosystem, the administration allegedly removed the whistleblower engineer from his post.
“Engineer warned about 40% commission, and he was the one removed! Engineer Dinanath Verma, associated with the temple construction, alleged that he had informed Champat Rai that 40% commissions were being taken on contracts, fake labourers (ghost workers) were being shown, and materials were being inflated in the bills. Verma says that instead of taking action, he was removed,” added Ramesh.
The investigation has further revealed that dozens of priceless items donated by devotees were accepted without official receipts being issued.
“The thieves kept stealing, and RSS-BJP affiliates kept sleeping soundly while repeatedly chanting ‘I am also a watchman’! This cannot be mere coincidence,” Ramesh stated. “Those entrusted with protecting divine assets deliberately allowed the system to remain compromised. Was this just negligence, or were the thieves being sheltered?”
Rejecting the state government’s SIT investigation as an attempt to “cover up” the scandal and restrict accountability to eight low-level employees, Congress insisted that the full scale of the theft—spanning six years—must be exposed.
The Congress party’s key demands include: An independent, Supreme Court-judicial-monitored investigation into the full extent of the financial irregularities, land deals, and donation thefts; A thorough probe into the roles of high-ranking Trust functionaries rather than relying on internal clean-chits and public disclosure of all donation figures, priceless assets received, audit findings, and contract bills since 2020.
“Priceless donations, but not even a receipt! The investigation uncovered dozens of such priceless items for which receipts were not even issued to the donors. When the danger was spelt out in writing as early as 2020, why was no action taken? Why was the whistleblower the one removed? Why were receipts not even issued for the devotees’ precious donations? The thieves kept stealing, and RSS-BJP affiliates kept sleeping soundly while repeatedly chanting “I am also a watchman”! This cannot be mere coincidence! The meaning is clear: Those entrusted with the responsibility of protecting divine assets—i.e., monitoring and guarding the trust—deliberately allowed the system to remain in such a state that serious questions arose about the security of offering amounts and precious donations. Was this just negligence, or were the thieves being sheltered? Who was sheltered, and what was the complicity or involvement of which big people? There must be an impartial investigation into this. The people of the country do not trust your government’s SIT investigation. When questions remain about the role of major responsible individuals despite warnings, complaints, and 105 incidents captured on CCTV, how can the entire matter be closed by taking action against just a few employees? The Congress’s demand is clear: An independent and impartial investigation of the entire matter under the Supreme Court’s supervision. The warnings from the audit, the alleged commission racket in contracts, the full extent of the tampering, and the complete account of priceless donations must come to light. The full figures and details of the thefts that have been going on for six years must be revealed. Every responsible person’s role must be investigated, and the guilty must be punished according to the law. The country is demanding an account of the offerings made in the name of Ram. Devotees’ faith does not give anyone the right to escape accountability,” added Ramesh. (ANI)
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