Key facts
- Congress demands Supreme Court-monitored probe into Ram Mandir donation row
- K.C. Venugopal wrote to PM Modi raising the issue
- Reports allege CCTV footage at the Ram Mandir site was wiped
- Congress accuses BJP of 'double standards' over PM's silence
The Congress party has sharpened its attack on the BJP government over a donation controversy at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, with senior leader K.C. Venugopal writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the affair. Congress has accused the BJP of double standards for remaining silent on the issue.
The row centres on allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations received at the Ram Mandir, which was inaugurated in a high-profile ceremony in January 2024 and is one of the most prominent religious and political symbols in contemporary India. Adding fuel to the controversy are reports that CCTV footage from the site was wiped — a development that critics say raises serious questions about transparency and accountability.
Venugopal's letter to the Prime Minister is a formal escalation of the political battle, demanding that no ordinary administrative inquiry suffice and that only Supreme Court oversight can guarantee an impartial investigation given the BJP's stake in the temple project. The opposition has consistently argued that the government's close identification with the Ram Mandir makes self-investigation impossible.
The BJP is yet to formally respond to Congress's demand for a court-monitored probe. The controversy arrives at a sensitive moment, with the Ayodhya temple remaining a deeply significant site for crores of Hindus across India — making questions about the integrity of its administration particularly resonant.