Khera further alleged that religion was being used to shield wrongdoing.
“They have used trust to foment riots and now to cover up thefts. Trust should not be used as a weapon or a shield. If anyone has manipulated trust, it is them in Nagpur and the Prime Minister himself,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also questioned the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Mandir, suggesting that such irregularities could not have been committed only by lower-level employees and hinting at “complicity of big players”.
In a post on X, she called for an impartial investigation and strict action against those found guilty, while warning against any attempt to suppress the case.
Emphasizing the emotional and religious importance of the temple to devotees, she called the alleged act deeply disturbing.
“The act of fraudulent theft and looting committed against the faith of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram, who upholds truth and justice, and his millions of devotees, has stunned the entire nation,” she wrote.
The Congress leaders’ remarks came a day after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility over the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Mandir.
The resignations followed the registration of an FIR under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh government.
Those named in the FIR are Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others.
The FIR followed allegations by former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey, who alleged that donations between Rs 7.5 crore and Rs 27 crore were embezzled from the Ram Mandir.
In response to the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged fraud following a request by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
(With data from ANI)
