Pot calling the kettle black: Congress slams VHP letter to police on claims made by Opposition leaders on donations

The Congress on Monday (July 6, 2026) slammed the VHP after it wrote to the Ayodhya police over allegations by several Opposition leaders over alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple, saying it was a classic case of “the pot calling the kettle black” and an attempt to divert attention so that the organisation’s own “moral decay” is not exposed.

The Opposition party’s attack comes after the VHP appealed to the Ayodhya police to look into the allegations of several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, regarding the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple and summon them to prove the allegations.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said VHP’s letter attacking Opposition leaders in the Ram Temple theft case was a “classic case of calling the kettle black”.

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“The demand is as absurd as it is shameless. The VHP, which has itself come under the scanner, has neither the moral authority nor the credibility to point the finger at the Opposition,” Mr. Venugopal said.

“After all, Temple Trust was founded by Prime Minister Modi; Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, VHP Vice President and RSS Pracharak; Trust Chairman, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister of India, awarded Padma Bushan by BJP; Central and State Government – run by BJP. So how is Priyanka run? jiAkhilesh ji or other Opposition leaders have anything to do with this matter?” he said.

He claimed that the truth is that VHP and Sangh Parivar are completely discredited.

Mr. Venugopal further alleged: “The controversial Ram Temple movement has long been dogged by Chanda Chori’s allegations and the latest reports have once again revealed that these self-proclaimed ‘saviors’ of Hindus have nothing to do with religion or Lord Ram. They are merely exploiting the faith of devotees and misusing the name of Lord Ram for political and financial gain.”

If the VHP was truly concerned about the sanctity of the Ram Mandir, why did it not demand action against those in its ranks orchestrating this “mega ruckus”, he asked.

Mr. Venugopal asked why the BJP leadership, which has taken full responsibility for the construction of the temple but is now conspicuously absent while the Trust itself appointed by them is under scrutiny, has remained silent.

“These individuals, cornered and red-faced by serious questions, are now trying to create a spectacle, feign innocence, distort the facts, intimidate critics and divert attention so that their own moral rot and moral bankruptcy are not exposed,” he said.

“We reiterate our demand for an independent, Supreme Court-monitored investigation. The current SIT is nothing but an elaborate mechanism to protect those who looted the Ram Mandir,” Mr. Venugopal said.

Congress’ media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera on Sunday (July 5, 2026) said that new allegations have emerged regarding the “stealing” of donations from the Ram temple in Ayodhya and new evidence is coming to light every day.

“Today, Alok Kumar of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) wrote to the investigating officer requesting that evidence of theft be sought from Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav,” Mr. Khera said in a video statement published on X.

That means one party commits the theft and the other party is expected to provide evidence, he said.

“The truth is that they have no real intention to catch the thieves. As always, their only aim is to advance their own political interests by emotionally misleading the Hindu society,” Mr. Khera had said.

He criticized the VHP and said that they should stop being contractors of the Hindu community.

“They should remove the word Hindu from their organization and commit as much robbery as they want. Do not tarnish the name of the Hindu community and stop running your shops at their expense,” he had said.

“Your intention is not to find out about theft or to catch thieves, your purpose was the same before the temple was built, to emotionalize the Hindu community and then rob them, take votes from them and now snatch their marks,” Mr. Khera said.

If they had to catch the thieves, they would not have asked for answers from Priyanka Gandhi, he said.

The RSS organization demanded action against them if they are found to be making “wild allegations” aimed at creating and encouraging feelings of “hatred, ill will and hostility”.

VHP international president Alok Kumar, in his July 4 letter to Ayodhya Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Tiwari, said the leaders had made specific allegations that were widely disseminated through television channels, social media platforms and other electronic media.

VHP asked the investigating officer to call them to explain the true basis of their allegations, the source of their information and any documents or materials supporting them.

It was published – 06 July 2026 15:18 IST