Congress has criticised Prime Minister Modi for his silence regarding the alleged theft of donations intended for the Ram Temple, asserting that this indicates a breach of public trust.
Photo : ANI
Congress on Monday once again launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the Ram Temple donation fund theft case and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the matter is a breach of “public trust”. Congress General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, Jairam Ramesh, wants the Prime Minister to address the issue as the matter is linked to the faith of crores of devotees. The development comes even as the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust invited applications for the appointment of a CEO, to look after the management of the temple.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Jairam Ramesh said, “Chanda chori, aastha dhokha. What does Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mysterious silence signify regarding the ‘chanda chori’ carried out by the BJP-RSS in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the betrayal of public trust? Why is he so eager to aid the ‘chanda chor’ (charity thieves)?”
In another statement, the Congress leader said, “The nation is asking why the prime minister, who claims ‘zero tolerance’ for corruption, has remained silent on this serious issue for the past month? The public is demanding answers from him for this breach of trust. Dear prime minister, break your silence, provide answers.”
Congress Holds Multi-City Pressers Across Country, Wants Real Culprits Punished
Jairam Ramesh said Congress leaders have held 50 press conferences across the country over the last four days over the crucial issue tied to the faith of the nation’s citizens. Demanding answers from the prime minister, he called for the real culprits to be put behind bars.
Meanwhile, the Congress party also took to its X page and targeted the government saying, “The entire country is outraged over the ‘offering theft’ at the Ram Temple, for which the BJP-RSS can never be forgiven.”
“The nation is asking why Narendra Modi, who claims zero tolerance on corruption, has remained silent on this serious issue for the past month?” it said.
“On this crucial matter tied to the faith of crores of Ram devotees, the Indian National Congress held 50 press conferences across the country in the last four days and demanded answers from the Prime Minister,” the Congress said.
The Congress questioned Modi’s “silence” on the issue and said the country will never forgive the BJP-RSS for their “betrayal of faith”. The party said it would demand answers from the prime minister during the upcoming Parliament session.
It also claimed that the SIT report into the “donations embezzlement” was “just a tip of the iceberg” and alleged that the manner in which the “big fish” are “roaming freely” indicated they enjoy the “full protection and blessings of Prime Minister Modi”.
‘ED Only Used To Target Oppn’: TMC Seeks Probe into Ram Temple Case
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) also hit out at the government and alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is being used as a “political weapon” against opposition parties and questioned why the agency had not acted on allegations of financial irregularities in the Ram Temple Trust.
TMC leaders Sagarika Ghose and Mahua Moitra alleged that while the ED froze the bank accounts of opposition parties, it failed to initiate action over allegations against the Ram Temple Trust.
“If the ED is truly impartial, why has it not acted in cases involving allegations against leaders in BJP-ruled states?… If serious allegations have emerged against the Ram Temple Trust, why has the ED not initiated action? If such allegations had arisen in an opposition-ruled state, the ED would have immediately registered a PMLA case,” Ghose said.
Ram Temple Trust Invites Applications For CEO
The Opposition’s criticism against the government has come even as the Ram temple trust on Monday (July 13) invited applications for the post of its first chief executive officer (CEO), listing various eligibility conditions, including that the candidates have to be practising Hindus with preference to ‘Ram bhakt’ from the Vaishnavite tradition.
According to the notification issued by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, applicants must be aged between 50 and 70 years and have at least 20 years’ managerial experience in a large public organisation, institution, government department, or company.
The trust has set 4 PM on July 18 as the deadline for submission of names.
The appointment assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the alleged embezzlement of temple donations that prompted the trust to introduce the post as part of measures aimed at strengthening its administrative and financial management.
