NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, demanding an immediate Supreme Court-monitored probe into what he described as the “Chanda Chori mega scandal.“Venugopal alleged that Lord Ram had been “misused and tarnished.”“The massive Chanda Chori at the Ayodhya Ram Temple has shaken the nation. Crores of innocent devotees gave their hard-earned savings in the name of Lord Rama. He who is known as ‘Maryada Purushottam’ has been misused and tarnished by those who claim to be the protectors of the Hindu faith,” the Alappuzha MP wrote on X while sharing his letter to the prime minister.“The Ayodhya Ram Temple was built through a Supreme Court verdict – using public land, through a public trust set up by the Government of India. What happens in the Temple’s administration is solely the Centre’s responsibility. Multiple warnings about theft, from different quarters, were repeatedly ignored and those at the helm wilfully looked the other way as crores were looted,” he added.Venugopal further described the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government as an “eyewash designed to shield the big fish.”“This is way beyond an ordinary loot. It strikes at the heart of how faith is corrupted — first for political gain, and then for financial enrichment. I have written to the PM demanding an immediate Supreme Court-monitored investigation into this Chanda Chori mega scandal,” the Congress leader said.The alleged embezzlement came to light after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its preliminary findings, following which an FIR was registered on June 25.Eight accused were subsequently arrested, and police said nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash, along with some foreign currency, had been recovered from six of them so far. The investigation is ongoing.
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