Congress alleges 'massive financial fraud' at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir

Congress MP KC Venugopal gave an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha over alleged 'massive financial fraud' and 'embezzlement' of public donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, demanding a Supreme Court-supervised independent inquiry.

Congress Seeks Discussion on Alleged Ram Mandir Fund Fraud

Congress General Secretary and Member of Parliament KC Venugopal on Wednesday gave a notice of adjournment in the Lok Sabha, seeking a discussion on what he termed as "massive financial fraud and embezzlement" of public donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Venugopal demanded the suspension of regular business to address the alleged "sacrilege" and called for a high-level independent inquiry supervised by a Supreme Court judge.

In the notice, Venugopal stated, "There is an urgent need to discuss the shocking revelations of massive financial fraud, theft, and embezzlement of public donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Recent reports indicate a highly organised racket operating within the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, where bundles of cash and valuable jewellery donated by millions of devoted citizens have been systematically siphoned off."

Allegations of Cover-Up and Institutional Complicity

The Congress leader further alleged that there has been a systematic attempt to cover up the crimes by destroying evidence and removing whistleblowers. "The deliberate destruction of 7 to 8 months of crucial CCTV footage to cover up these crimes, coupled with the unceremonious removal of the former Chief Accounts Officer who red-flagged these irregularities as early as 2020-21, points to deep-rooted institutional complicity. Furthermore, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the State Government on June 13, and the subsequent FIR lodged on June 25, appear to be a mere eyewash targeting only low-level outsourced staff, while potentially shielding powerful individuals who masterminded this multi-crore embezzlement," the notice read.

Demand for Supreme Court-Supervised Probe

The MP emphasised that the issue concerns the faith of millions of Indians and requires the immediate intervention of the House. "This monumental betrayal of the faith and hard-earned life savings of 1.4 billion Indians demands the immediate suspension of regular business. The House must discuss this grave sacrilege and direct the Union Government to institute a high-level, independent inquiry, under the supervision of a Supreme Court Judge, capable of investigating powerful entities to uncover the whole truth, safeguard the sacred offerings, and ensure strict accountability," the notice added. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)