The Congress on Tuesday intensified its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, accusing him of maintaining a "silence" that amounts to a "direct assault" on the faith of crores of devotees. The party also alleged that Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai was detained by police ahead of a planned visit by a Congress delegation to offer prayers at the temple.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "PM Modi's silence regarding the looting at the Shri Ram Temple is a direct assault on the religious faith of crores of people across the country."
"The Modi government constituted the (Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra) Trust without any transparent criteria or public consultation and appointed RSS members to it. Subsequently, the entire trust was exempted from the ambit of the RTI Act. Modi ji, break your silence," Ramesh said.
His remarks came after Ajai Rai claimed that he was detained by Uttar Pradesh Police shortly after reaching Ayodhya ahead of a scheduled Congress delegation visit to the Ram temple.
"The BJP government's authoritarianism has reached its peak! A delegation from the Uttar Pradesh Congress was scheduled to visit Ayodhya tomorrow, June 30, to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. I had barely arrived in Ayodhya when the BJP government, gripped by fear, had the police arrest me at my hotel and is taking me away in a jeep," Rai had said.
The Congress has demanded the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the alleged donation scam.
The controversy has escalated in recent days, with the Faizabad Bar Association announcing on Monday that none of its members would represent the eight accused arrested in the case. The association also resolved to seek a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking intervention in the alleged Ram temple donation irregularities. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Sheel Nagu said the matter would be listed after the court reopens following the summer break on July 13.
The political row has also drawn in other opposition parties. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav urged "true Sanatanis" not to vote for the BJP or seek election tickets from the party, alleging that it had "betrayed Lord Ram".
The BJP, however, defended the action taken so far, describing the lawyers' decision to boycott the accused as a "powerful message from Hindu society". The party asserted that those accused of looting donations in Ayodhya were facing both legal action and social boycott.
The BJP also said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had made it clear that the guilty would receive exemplary punishment and that the investigation would proceed strictly in accordance with the law.
The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after allegations of misappropriation of donations surfaced.
Based on the SIT's findings, eight people — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav — have been arrested.
Opposition parties have alleged that the arrests target only lower-level individuals, while the main perpetrators behind the alleged embezzlement remain at large.