VHP misleading Hindu society for political interests, says Congress

The Congress on Sunday lashed out at the VHP after it wrote to Ayodhya police over the claims made by several opposition leaders on the alleged donation theft at the Ram temple, alleging the organisation’s only aim is to “emotionally mislead” the Hindu society to further its own political interests.

Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said new allegations are surfacing and fresh evidence is coming to light every day regarding the “theft” of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“Today, Alok Kumar of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) wrote to the investigating officer, asking that evidence of the theft be sought from Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and Ram Gopal Yadav,” Khera said in a video statement posted on X.

So, the implication is that one side commits the theft, while another is expected to provide the proof, he said.

“The truth is that they have no real intention of catching the thieves. As always, their only aim is to emotionally mislead Hindu society to further their own political interests,” Khera said.

Slamming the VHP, he said they should stop being the contractors of the Hindu community. “They must remove the word Hindu from their organisations and then carry out as many robberies as they want. Do not spoil the name of the Hindu community and stop running your shops at their expense,” he said.

“Your intention is not to find out about the theft or to catch the thieves, your intention is what it was before the temple was built, that to make the Hindu community emotional and then rob them, snatch votes from them and now also snatch notes from them,” Khera said.

If they had to catch the thieves, they would not have been demanding answers from Priyanka Gandhi, he said. The VHP has written to the Ayodhya police, urging it to examine the claims made by several opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, on the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and summon them to substantiate the allegations.

The RSS affiliate demanded that action be taken against them if it is found that they have made “wild allegations” intended to create and promote feelings of “hatred, ill will and enmity”.

In a letter dated July 4 to Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari, the investigating officer in the case, VHP international president Alok Kumar said the leaders have made specific allegations that have been widely circulated through television channels, social media platforms and other electronic media. The VHP urged the investigating officer to call them to disclose the factual basis of their claims, the source of their information and any documents or material supporting them.

Kumar said the leaders have publicly made specific allegations and have even attributed definite figures, including allegations involving amounts exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. “The allegations made by the above named and other persons lead one to believe that they are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case,” the letter said.

Referring to their public statements, Kumar said Priyanka Gandhi questioned whether junior employees alone could have switched off CCTV cameras and manipulated offerings worth thousands of crores, or whether influential people are involved.

Kumar said Kejriwal alleged that about Rs 200 crore in cash, besides Lord Ram’s garland, charan padukas, diamonds, jewellery, silver bricks and lamps, have allegedly been stolen, and questioned the silence of the Uttar Pradesh Police, the ED and the CBI.

The letter also referred to public statements allegedly made by Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and AAP MP Sanjay Singh on the “theft” of cash and valuables donated at the temple.

In the letter, Kumar noted that Yadav alleged a Rs 20,000-crore scam, claiming that cash and valuables donated by devotees from India and abroad have allegedly gone missing and that not only junior employees and Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, who has since tendered his resignation, but also several influential people are allegedly involved.

The letter said Sanjay Singh alleged that more than Rs 200 crore has allegedly been stolen from the temple’s donation boxes and that over 50 employees are allegedly involved.

Kumar said in order to ensure a fair, comprehensive and impartial investigation, it would be appropriate to require the attendance of the aforesaid persons under the applicable provisions of law, or otherwise record their statements so that they could disclose the factual basis of their allegations, the source of their information and all documents or other material in their possession supporting such allegations.

“Should any of the aforesaid persons furnish credible material in support of their allegations, the same would undoubtedly assist the investigating agency in discovering the truth,” the letter said.