• Ms. Aradhana Misra, CLP Leader in Uttar Pradesh

We have all been witnessing a statement read out from a teleprompter. The most striking aspect is how the teleprompter’s narrative travelled from Delhi to Nagpur without anyone realizing it. Even more surprising, however, was the manner in which RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale read out a statement scripted on that teleprompter. Lord Ram’s temple in Ayodhya, there is now clear evidence that this plunder was orchestrated over months under the supervision of the RSS and its affiliates. Can the RSS absolve itself of responsibility merely by reading a statement from a teleprompter? The entire nation is deeply hurt by the betrayal committed against Sanatan Dharma and the devotees of Lord Ram by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS—the organization whose ideology the BJP follows. BJP’s faith in Lord Ram is minimal compared to its eagerness to exploit His name for political gain; while we are true devotees and worshipers of Lord Ram, the BJP and its affiliate, the RSS, are merely ‘traders’ in the name of Ram. And now, these traders have looted the very Lord Ram who brought them to power.

Can the RSS truly distance itself from this sin—or rather, this maha-paap simply by reading a statement, expressing regret, and attempting to dissociate itself from the incident? Who are Champat Rai Bansal, Anil Mishra, and Gopal Rao? These are individuals associated with the RSS who have been continuously managing the affairs of this trust.” Does the RSS really have the mettle now? I challenge them: if they are expressing anguish today, distancing themselves from this incident, and demanding action, will they clarify whether these three key figures belong to the RSS or not? And if they do, what action has the RSS taken against them so far?

Even regarding the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government and the FIRs registered—against whom were they filed? They were filed against a driver, a cook, and low-level employees. Why were no FIRs registered against the people actually managing the trust? You interrogated them, certainly, but why was no FIR filed? Who is accountable? The responsibility lies with those who sat there as the masters of the situation.

A truly shocking fact has come to light. Let me take you back a bit into the past; I hail from the Awadh region, and we have consistently visited the Ram Mandir, held faith in it, and remained connected to it. I witnessed that phase of Uttar Pradesh politics when the slogan “Ramlala, we shall come; we shall build the temple right here” was raised, and votes were sought in its name. Not just once, but four times, they formed the government in Uttar Pradesh on this very issue. Inside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the then Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the late Kalyan Singh Ji, who is no longer with us, had declared that if our government came to power, we would build the temple; he stated this on the floor of the House.

The people of the state and the devotees of Ram placed their faith in them, and the government was formed. Yet, after the government was formed, when asked in the Assembly when the Ram Mandir would be built, the reply was that it would happen once a government was formed at the Centre. Once again, the devotees of Ram showed their faith, and a government was formed at the Center as well. Vajpayee Ji’s government was formed three times; there were BJP governments at both the state and central levels, yet the Ram Mandir was not built. This is because, for the BJP and the RSS, the Ram Mandir was merely an issue to be exploited.

If the Ram Mandir was built today, it was due to the Supreme Court’s verdict. I would also remind you that when the Supreme Court delivered this judgment on November 9, 2019, it entrusted the responsibility to the government. The bench mandated that the trust be formed and the Ram Mandir constructed under the government’s supervision. Therefore, the government cannot absolve itself of this responsibility; with BJP governments in power at both the state and central levels, can either of them truly distance themselves from this obligation?

Where is the ED? Where is the CBI? Where are the Income Tax raids? Who will answer for the theft of donations worth crores? There is no ledger or account book for the 1,250 shilas sent here by people across the country out of devotion, nor for the vast quantity of jewellery. Let me explain the reason behind this. This practice stems from the RSS model—an organization that has no registration, undergoes no audits, and falls outside the ambit of the RTI. Consequently, the same modus operandi followed in Nagpur was replicated at the Ayodhya temple: the trust maintained no accounts, remained outside RTI scrutiny, and operated without oversight.

And regarding the individuals, the employees: the people against whom FIRs have been filed and who have been arrested were low-level staff. In fact, they were not even regular employees; they were daily-wage workers hired through outsourcing agencies. These were the workers engaged by the trust specifically for the task of counting; the trust itself had provided their names to the State Bank of India (SBI). The bank then passed this list of names to the outsourcing agency—which was already supplying security personnel—and these identified individuals were hired at the behest of the trust. No background checks were conducted, and the Trust appointed individuals of its own choice to work there.

The irony is striking: a massive Trust receiving crores in offerings born of faith, was hiring people based on lists provided by the RSS; yet today, it is the low-level outsourced employees against whom FIRs are being filed. While sums of two or five lakhs—or other amounts in the lakhs—are being recovered from various individuals, no one has yet discovered the whereabouts of the crores that were looted. An SIT was indeed formed, but its tenure was extended. Why hasn’t the Central Government acted? Why is the Prime Minister silent on this matter today? What vow did you take when you stood before Lord Ram during the temple’s consecration? Was this your vow? The very premises you were responsible for protecting—where the faith of Ram’s devotees was being exploited—is now the site of a massive scam, yet the Prime Minister and the RSS remain silent. No one can absolve themselves of this responsibility or escape accountability.

The RSS is the only organization that has never conducted an audit. This practice stems from there. Today, it’s reflecting the scam that occurred there. Therefore, it’s being made clear that the key individuals involved , those from the RSS and those who were running the trust, were unable to escape the massive scam that occurred right under their noses.

Whether it is Champat Rai, Anil Mishra, or Gopal Rao—these are all individuals affiliated with the RSS who were continuously managing the temple’s operations; this was no secret—everyone knew it. Today, it is not just the opposition; even people associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party itself are acknowledging this and expressing their distress over the matter. Ever since the foundation stone was laid—and indeed, throughout this long process—we have seen how land was acquired for the Trust. We presented evidence showing how land prices were artificially inflated so that individuals could profit by selling the land to the Trust at the hiked rates. Yet today, the RSS seeks to distance itself from the matter merely by expressing regret and shedding crocodile tears. The RSS is the organization that has never conducted an audit. This practice stems from there. It’s reflecting the scam that occurred there. Therefore, it’s being made clear that the key individuals involved, those from the RSS and those who were running the trust, were unable to escape the massive scam that occurred right under their noses.

The people gave as offerings, the many idols, stones ornamented with jewels? When even a grocery store maintains a ledger of how much goods came in and how much went out, then there was such a big trust, in that the ledger was not maintained as to how much offering came from where, how much came in kind, how much came in cash and I will repeat that this is the practice of RSS. Their faith has been tampered with. So, the answer to this should also be given to them. Whatever SIT investigation has been done till now, at least that should be made public and whether it is SIT investigation or any other investigation, why ED and CBI have not been involved in such a big scam, where there is a scam of crores, billions, a scam of several hundred crores, it is not known where, how much, how deep this scam is. Every day new things are coming to light, so why are ED and CBI not being given the responsibility of investigation for this?

In this country—India—religion, culture, and faith have always held the utmost importance; this is both our heritage and our strength. Regarding what has transpired today—the way the faith of Ram devotees has been trifled with—neither the devotees, nor Ayodhya, nor the nation itself will forgive the RSS and the BJP. The country will not forgive the RSS for this—not merely for a statement read off a teleprompter, but for the way they have commodified the name of Lord Ram and exploited the faith of His devotees; this will never be forgiven.

Based on Press Briefing on July 4, 2026