Panaji | Congress on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged theft of donations and offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Speaking at a press conference here, party general secretary K C Venugopal said he had written to the prime minister seeking an independent probe as serious questions had been raised over the handling of donations at the temple.
He also reminded the BJP of its usual rhetoric about the past plunder of India's temples by invaders.
"I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of India that there should be an impartial inquiry monitored by the Supreme Court to find out the real culprits of the temple theft," Venugopal said.
He also referred to claims made by a former Union home secretary that one kilogram of gold donated to the temple deity was not properly accounted for.
"This is not an allegation by a common man. It has been made by a retired Union Home Secretary. What is happening in the Ayodhya Ram temple is very painful for all of us. It is painful for all believers in this country," he said, questioning the prime minister's silence on the issue.
"We are going to expose all these things," Venugopal added.
Congress people believe in God for the sake of faith, but "BJP people believe in God and they are talking about the religion for the sake of polarising the people and looting the temple," he said.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and RSS were wholely responsible for the theft at the Ayodhya temple, he further alleged.
"Why BJP is keeping mum on that? Why PM Narendra Modi is silent on that?" the Congress leader asked.
"These people, for the last 30-40 years, are only talking about Ran Janmabhumi and Ram Temple. The people who committed theft of donations given by the poor people of this country, why are they being covered and protected? People who looted the temple are (being) protected by Union and UP governments," Venugopal alleged.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which frequently invokes historical instances of temple plunder, should explain the allegations surrounding the Ayodhya temple, he further said.
"The BJP speaks about historical invasions and temple loot, but now allegations are emerging about repeated thefts at the Ram temple itself.
The truth must come out through an impartial probe," he said.
Venugopal also accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions by using central investigation agencies to engineer defections.
"The BJP's politics is no longer divide and rule. It has become theft and rule, break and rule. They are promoting defections through the misuse of agencies and blackmail. This is a clear danger to Indian democracy," he said.
