A sin is a violation of religious and moral laws. How to describe the enormity of the sin that is committed inside the temple, stealing donations and offerings to the grand deity to satiate your greed? That’s probably worse than sacrilege, far more wicked than normal misdeeds of immorality. It’s like taunting the divine authority.Robbery in the Ram temple – how lowly are the people who commit and tolerate this sin? Who thought those who grabbed power chanting “Jai Shri Ram” would oversee such a heinous crime? Switch off CCTV cameras and take away bundles of notes on a daily basis, along with gold and silver ornaments, and then flex muscles by chanting Jai Shri Ram! Thieves presumed that Lord Ram is a helpless spectator and those meant to enforce accountability, their ideological brothers, won’t ever catch them.Former prime minister Manmohan Singh used these phrases – Organised loot and legalised plunder – for demonetisation. Who imagined those prophetic words will one day explain the occurrences at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, an instrument that propelled the Sangh Parivar to power in the country.The Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was formed by prime minister Narendra Modi on the instructions of the Supreme Court in February 2020. Bureaucrats, politicians and saints close to the Sangh Parivar were accommodated in the trust, with top Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Champat Rai acting as the general secretary. If theft of such mind-boggling dimensions has been reported from the temple, the Modi Government and the Sangh Parivar cannot evade responsibility. It is shocking that an FIR hasn’t been registered yet and the issue is being handled by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government.Serious allegations like the loot money ranging between Rs 200 crore to Rs 1,400 crore, deletion of CCTV footage, involvement of counting staff close to trust members and violation of rules have been made. Further allegations of 1,250 bricks made of gold and silver vanishing indicate the scope of loot. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh talked about loot of “thousands of crores”, saying, “Champat Rai bought land at inflated rates to siphon off trust’s money.”He referred to three transactions; one plot worth Rs 2 crore was bought for Rs 18 crore, another worth Rs 2.9 crore was bought for Rs 24 crore, and one worth Rs 9 crore was purchased for Rs 55 crore. That somebody like Champat Rai has come under suspicion calls for an independent probe, preferably by a judicial commission headed by a Supreme Court judge. Reports suggest devotees are distressed and a reduction of 80% in the contributions has been recorded this month.What is shocking is that there is a history of fraud and suspicious deals right from the time of construction of the temple. Media reports exposed shady deals a few years ago, instigating opposition parties to demand intervention from the Supreme Court and the prime minister. Releasing the sale deeds then, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said, “Land worth Rs 2 crore was purchased by the Ram Temple Trust for Rs 26.50 crore.” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi had said, “Whose responsibility is it to ensure that the donations given by millions of people are used properly? How is the money getting into private pockets? BJP leaders and bureaucrats have indulged in loot through dubious land deals around the temple in Ayodhya.” By retaining the tainted leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and VHP in the trust, the prime minister clearly didn’t show a gesture of integrity.Gandhi’s credibilityWhile it is beyond anybody’s imagination that Ram will be used so brazenly to steal money, Sangh Parivar does have an uninspiring track record in morality, transparency and accountability. The RSS ceaselessly talks about character-building but its affiliates like the BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal haven’t yet presented any shining example of honesty and morality. Contrast this with Mahatma Gandhi who maintained record of every paisa that came through donation and voluntarily offered the accounts for public scrutiny.Gandhi instructed his associates to keep a daily record of inflows and outflows, and the audited accounts were published in journals like Harijan, Young India and Navajivan on a regular basis. He personally responded to queries by anyone regarding funding and expenses. He invited critics to scrutinise the Tilak Swaraj Fund that he set up, insisting that even small diversions of funds from the stated objective was a crime.Gandhi never made any personal wealth but he begged regularly for helping victims of famine and floods, Jallianwala massacre, apart from political work in the freedom movement. He also set up a Harijan Fund. At one gathering of women in Bangalore, he asked for donations. Women said they had no money. He asked them to part with their “streedhan” (Jewellery) for the national cause. Most women responded instantly, giving at least one item they were wearing at that time. Some of them gifted him their gold and diamond necklaces.Why Indians trusted Gandhi is because his personal integrity was beyond doubt. Nobody questioned his commitment and sincerity. He once said, “If you trust me with money, you must do so in the fullest consciousness that I know how to use it and when to use it”.That was the foundation on which the Indian nation-state was built after Independence. How many leaders are there today whose personal integrity is beyond reproach, whose motives are above suspicion? The trust deficit will diminish further if important trusts and temples are used for personal aggrandisement and loot.Priyank Kharge on RSSThe BJP member of Parliament Ramesh Jigajinagi has declared that “no one who has messed with the RSS has ever survived.” Gandhi didn’t. Jigajinagi was angry because Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge had written to Mohan Bhagwat, asking why the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should not show compliance with the law of the land like all other organisations and individuals do. This MP was so angry that he asked, “Why does a Dalit person need to get involved with the RSS? That is my question, brother. Just stay peaceful and comfortable…” Let’s pray for Priyank Kharge’s long life.Priyank, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, won hearts across the country by raising perfectly valid questions about the RSS. No sensible citizen would accept immunity for any outfit, especially for the RSS which exerts enormous power and influence over India’s politics, governance and social life. In his capacity as the Karnataka home minister, he asked the RSS to put out information in public domain regarding: Its legal status & organisational structure, details of its office-bearers and authorised representatives, sources of donations, contributions and income, details of expenditure and assets and whether applicable taxes are being paid in accordance with law.He also asked about the legal basis on which organisation activities are conducted without formal registration and the constitutional and statutory framework under which it claims the right to operate at such scale without public accountability.An organisation that claims to have over 60,000 shakhas and crores of swayamsevaks across India and abroad cannot be allowed to function under the veil of secrecy. The desire to remain above public scrutiny is in itself enough to trigger suspicions. Will any other organisation – religious, cultural, social or corporate – with such a vast network and direct intervention in governance be allowed to function without accountability?Will the Modi government allow a Muslim outfit to function without registration which models itself on the RSS and indulges in similar activities and mobilisation? Bhagwat’s silly observation that even Hindu religion is not registered exposes the lack of justification for this special status. That the RSS has operated without scrutiny for 100 years does not guarantee an exemption for another 100 years.Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.