New Delhi: Amid the allegations of embezzlement of temple donations from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Congress on Wednesday (July 8) demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology for making mistakes in picking members of the temple trust. The party has also demanded that Champat Rai, former general secretary of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, be immediately arrested and that the trust itself should be immediately dissolved and a Supreme Court monitored probe be constituted into the embezzlement allegations.Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, former Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said that Modi cannot evade responsibility as he had appointed Rai, who along with Anil Mishra have resigned as members of the temple Trust over the allegations of embezzlement of the temple funds and irregularities in the counting process of offerings made by devotees.Also read: Ram Temple Funds Theft: Champat Rai Claims He Didn’t Approve 2025 Cash Counting Guidelines, Blames Bank“As a first step the Trust should be dissolved. The Trust should be immediately dissolved and replaced by a new trust; the composition of this new trust should be decided collectively by the Shankaracharyas, a retired Supreme Court judge, representatives of the Nirmohi Akhara, and various seers. Champat Rai should be immediately arrested. They are now saying he handed over the keys to his driver. If the keys, which were your responsibility, were handed over to your driver, then you are directly responsible,” he said.While the SIT has submitted its preliminary report it does not mention Rai. His associate ‘Tinnu’ Yadav is one of the accused in the case and the SIT names him as well as Anil Mishra and the eight people already arrested in the case.Also read: SIT Not Enough, CBI Probe Needed to Unearth Ram Mandir ‘Corruption’, Says Head of Achari Temple“A probe should be conducted and monitored by the Supreme Court. Modi should apologise to the nation that it was his mistake that instead of seers, he appointed Champat Rai in the Trust. Modi should tell the people of the country that Champat Rai by calling him an avatar of Lord Vishnu, has insulted Hindu sentiments, and for that he should apologise. He should say that he is an ordinary human and not an avatar of Vishnu, and apologise because he has been quiet on this for so long,” said Gohil.He added that while crores of devotees had made donations to the Ram Mandir, the trust had failed to keep proper records and accounts.Gohil also said the daily donations at the temple, which was about Rs 16-18 lakh per day before the embezzlement allegations became public, has increased to Rs 24-26 lakh per day and it raises suspicions that around Rs 10 lakh was being taken away daily.Also read: Ram Temple Theft: Treasurer Says Funds That Didn’t Reach Trust Accounts Were ‘Responsibility of Other People’Gohil said that Modi, who had appointed members of the trust like Rai, too should take responsibility.“If I appoint someone and that person commits wrongdoing, then I too bear responsibility. Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee expressed this very well when he said ‘if the watchdog does not bark, you should understand that it knows the thieves’,” said Gohil.