New Delhi, 06 July (H.S.): Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal on Monday strongly criticised the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) over its response to the alleged Ram Temple offering theft case, saying the organisation's attack on Opposition leaders was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

In a post on social media platform X, Venugopal said the Ram Temple Trust was constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He pointed out that the Trust's General Secretary, Champat Rai, is a Vice President of the VHP and an RSS pracharak, while its Chairman is a former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister who was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the BJP-led government. He also noted that both the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments are led by the BJP. In such circumstances, he questioned how Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, or former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could have any role in the matter.

Venugopal alleged that the VHP had completely lost its credibility. He said the Ram Temple movement had long faced allegations related to the misuse of donations, and recent reports had once again raised concerns that devotees' faith was being exploited for political and financial gain.

He further questioned why, if the VHP was genuinely concerned about preserving the sanctity of the temple, it had not demanded action against individuals within its own ranks who were allegedly responsible for the reported irregularities.

The Congress leader also said that while the BJP leadership had readily taken credit for the construction of the Ram Temple, it had remained silent now that the Trust constituted under its government had come under scrutiny. He alleged that after facing serious questions and public embarrassment, the VHP was attempting to divert attention by targeting critics instead of addressing the allegations.

Reiterating the party's position, Venugopal demanded an independent investigation monitored by the Supreme Court. He claimed that the existing Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted only to shield those allegedly involved in the misappropriation of Ram Temple donations.

Notably, on Saturday, VHP President and senior advocate Alok Kumar wrote to Ayodhya Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Tiwari objecting to recent statements made by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In his letter, Kumar sought an inquiry into the factual basis and sources of the allegations made by these Opposition leaders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar