NEW DELHI: Amid the raging row over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, the Congress on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the "loot" is a "direct assault" on the faith of crores of people across the country.
The opposition party also said that its delegation was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Ram, but Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai was allegedly "arrested" by the police.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "PM Modi's silence regarding the looting at the Shri Ram Temple is a direct assault on the religious faith of crores of people across the country."
"The Modi government constituted the (Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra) Trust without any transparent criteria or public consultation and appointed RSS members to it. Subsequently, the entire trust was exempted from the ambit of the RTI Act. Modi ji, break your silence," Ramesh said.
Ramesh's remarks came in response to Rai's post around midnight in which he had claimed that barely after he arrived in Ayodhya, the BJP government, "gripped by fear", had the police "arrest" him at his hotel and take him away in a vehicle.
"The BJP government's authoritarianism has reached its peak! A delegation from the Uttar Pradesh Congress was scheduled to visit Ayodhya tomorrow, June 30, to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. I had barely arrived in Ayodhya when the BJP government, gripped by fear, had the police arrest me at my hotel and is taking me away in a jeep," Rai had said.
The Congress has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe and the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Amid mounting outrage over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, the Faizabad Bar Association in Ayodhya on Monday announced that none of its members would represent the eight arrested accused and said it would move court for a CBI probe.
In the Supreme Court, Justices M M Sundresh and Sheel Nagu refused an urgent hearing of a plea on the Ram temple donation irregularities and said the matter will be listed for hearing after the summer break. The court will reopen on July 13.
The opposition sharpened its attack on the BJP, which has highlighted the Ram temple construction among its major achievements, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav urging "true Sanatanis" not to vote for the BJP or seek election tickets from the party, alleging that it had "betrayed Lord Ram".
The BJP, on its part, described the lawyers' boycott move as a "powerful message from Hindu society" and asserted that those accused of looting in Ayodhya are not only facing the full force of the law but also social boycott.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made it very clear that exemplary punishment will be meted out to the guilty and speedy justice will be ensured, the party said, adding the case will proceed as per the rule of law.
On June 13, the UP government constituted the SIT on a request from the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations.
Based on the SIT's report, eight people -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav -- were arrested.
Opposition parties have alleged that only small players were facing action and the main culprits were still free.