Ram Temple donations row: Congress seeks answers from PM on 'breach of public trust'

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) The Congress on Monday sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying his silence on the issue amounted to "breach of public trust". In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked the prime minister to break his silence on what he described as a serious issue linked to the faith of crores of devotees. "'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)?" Ramesh said in Hindi. "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," Ramesh said. 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. The Congress, in a post on its X handle, said, "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 had on Sunday too 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". PTI SKC RHL