The Congress on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the allegations surrounding donations made to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and urged him to “step forward to ensure a fair investigation into the matter so that people’s faith remains intact”.”This is a blow by the BJP to the devotion of hundreds of crores of Indians. The trust was formed by PM Modi, and it has people from the BJP, RSS and VHP selected by him,” the party said.Addressing a press conference in Delhi, senior Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said devotees across the country, particularly those who had contributed to the temple, were waiting for answers on how donations worth thousands of crores of rupees could allegedly be stolen under the watch of those entrusted with managing the shrine.The party reiterated its demand that the trust managing the Ram Mandir should be dissolved and replaced to facilitate a transparent probe into the allegations.Singh said the issue assumed significance because the Prime Minister had frequently associated himself with the temple project and the trust itself had been constituted under the Modi government.”When serious allegations are being raised against people who were given the responsibility of managing the temple, why is the Prime Minister silent?” he asked.The Congress leader alleged that reports of corruption had surfaced from the time construction of the temple began and referred to earlier allegations relating to land purchases linked to the Ram Mandir project.”As work on the Ram Mandir progressed, so did the speed of corruption,” he alleged.Singh claimed that the trust had earlier engaged agencies to look into complaints of irregularities but ignored their findings and recommendations.He also raised questions over the removal of cash-counting agent Mahipal Singh after he allegedly pointed to irregularities in the handling of donations. He further alleged that CCTV cameras were removed and footage deleted.Maintaining that the government’s handling of the matter had raised questions over impartiality, Singh demanded that the investigation be carried out under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.Speaking in Kerala, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the allegations as “tragic” and “shameful”, saying donations had come not only from large contributors but also from ordinary households across the country.Speaking in Madhya Pradesh, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that organisations associated with the RSS and the VHP were more interested in power than religion.