Congress on Thursday intensified its offensive over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remaining silent even as the BJP-RSS establishment was allegedly trying to protect the “big crocodiles” behind the scandal. The party also raised questions over alleged irregularities in land purchases and construction linked to the temple.Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, alleged that attempts were being made to shield those responsible by targeting lower-level employees.“After the theft of offerings at the Lord Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya came to light, several major irregularities related to land purchase and construction have also surfaced.Despite all this, Prime Minister Modi remains silent, and the entire BJP-RSS apparatus is attempting to protect the big crocodiles by taking action against a few small employees.Ramesh said his party colleague, Surendra Rajput, had made several fresh allegations regarding the alleged large-scale loot in Ayodhya during a press conference at the Congress headquarters.Addressing the press conference, Congress leader Surinder Rajput alleged that the prime minister could not distance himself from what he described as the Ram temple “donation-theft case”, saying it was PM Modi who had constituted the trust overseeing the shrine’s management.He also questioned the composition of the trust and the involvement of individuals linked to a particular ideology.“In the donation-embezzlement issue, a few small fish are being used as bait to protect the big fish. In this entire matter, the needle of suspicion also points towards the RSS and the VHP, and we demand answers from them,” Rajput said.Referring to the prime minister’s role in the temple project, Rajput said Modi had laid the foundation stone and later performed the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.“When a big sin of stealing the offerings has been committed, Prime Minister Modi should clarify. The Ram temple is a matter of faith for crores of people and the prime minister, the RSS and the VHP cannot escape responsibility,” he said, according to news agency PTI.Rajput further questioned why the temple trust had been kept outside the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.“If the trust is entirely religious, why were only people connected to the BJP-RSS placed in it? The prime minister will have to answer these questions,” he said.The Congress’ remarks come amid allegations of financial irregularities linked to the Ram temple trust. The BJP and the trust had not immediately responded to the Congress’ latest allegations.