By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
DEHRADUN: The Congress on Friday sharpened its political offensive ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh due early next year, with party general secretary K C Venugopal using his two-day visit to the hill state to launch a blistering attack on the BJP over the alleged irregularities in donations at Ayodhya and Badrinath temples.
The visit is being seen as the beginning of the Congress’ high-voltage campaign in Uttarakhand, with senior leader Rahul Gandhi scheduled to arrive in the state on July 17 to further intensify the party’s election offensive against the BJP.
Wrapping up his organisational review in Dehradun, Venugopal questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the alleged embezzlement of devotees’ offerings at the Ayodhya Ram Temple and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the matter. He also attacked the BJP government over the alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Badrinath shrine, indicating that both issues would feature prominently in the Congress’ campaign in the run-up to the elections.
Addressing a press conference, Venugopal alleged that money and gold donated by devotees over the years in the name of the Ram Temple had been collected by the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), but were allegedly siphoned off by those managing the temple trust.
“I want to ask only one question—who is responsible for the alleged theft of devotees’ donations? The Ram Temple Trust was constituted under the supervision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Why is the Prime Minister silent on this issue?” he asked.
Calling for complete transparency, Venugopal demanded that the alleged irregularities be investigated under the supervision of the Supreme Court and said the Congress would also raise the issue forcefully in Parliament.
Beyond the temple controversies, the Congress leader reviewed the party’s election preparedness through a series of meetings with the state Political Affairs Committee, senior leaders, district Congress committee presidents, frontal organisations, MLAs and former legislators.
Expressing confidence about the party’s prospects, Venugopal said the Congress organisation was united and fully geared up for the electoral battle.
