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    EYE ON INDIA                                                              JULY 03, 2026    |  The Indian Eye                    6

                 Ram Temple Donation Row Erupts

                                into Major Political Storm

             Allegations of missing donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple have triggered investigations, court petitions

                                          and a fierce political battle ahead of key electoral contests

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            the FIR and said all accused individ-
                                                                                                                  uals should be investigated without
            Ayodhya / Lucknow / New Delhi
                                                                                                                  favour or protection.
                  he Shri Ram Janmabhoomi                                                                             “Everyone involved, or those
                  Temple  in  Ayodhya,  one  of                                                                   accused, should be investigated. No
            Tmodern  India’s  most  signifi-                                                                      one should be shielded, no one fa-
            cant religious and political symbols,                                                                 vored, and no one should be under
            has become the centre of a growing                                                                    pressure,” Kumar said.
            controversy after allegations sur-                                                                        At the same time, Kumar ac-
            faced that crores of rupees in dona-                                                                  cused opposition parties of exploit-
            tions were misappropriated. What                                                                      ing the controversy for electoral gain
            began  as  a  financial  irregularity                                                                 ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh As-
            probe  has  rapidly  escalated  into  a                                                               sembly elections.
            national political confrontation  in-                                                                     “They are running their 2027
            volving opposition parties, religious                                                                 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election
            organisations, the Uttar Pradesh                                                                      campaign,” Kumar said, arguing that
            government and even the Supreme                                                                       political parties which had historical-
            Court.                                                                                                ly opposed the Ram Temple move-
                                                                                                                  ment were now presenting them-
            The controversy stems from al-    The controversy stems from allegations made by former Samajwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey,   selves as defenders of Lord Ram.
                                                                                                                      The political battle has high-
            legations made by former Sama-       who claimed that between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations received at the Ram   lighted the unique position the Ram
                                                              Temple had been misappropriated (ANI file photo)
            jwadi Party MLA Pawan Pandey,                                                                         Temple occupies in Indian public
                                                                                                                  life. The temple is not merely a place
            who claimed that between Rs 7  duism’s holiest sites.               the creation of a Central Bureau of   of worship; it is the culmination
                                                  Among the most vocal critics
            crore and Rs 7.5 crore in dona-   has been Aam Aadmi Party lead-    Investigation-led Special Investiga-  of a decades-long movement that
                                                                                                                  shaped national politics and helped
                                                                                tion Team to probe alleged financial
            tions received at the Ram Tem-    er Arvind Kejriwal. During a visit   irregularities, mismanagement and   redefine electoral alignments across
            ple had been misappropriated.     to Lucknow, he dismissed the SIT   other concerns relating to the tem-  northern India.
                                              investigation as ineffective and ac-  ple trust.                        That sensitivity is evident in the
                                              cused authorities of attempting to    AAP MP Sanjay Singh has also   reactions of religious leaders. Acha-
                Following the allegations, the
            Uttar Pradesh government consti-  shield influential individuals.   entered the  fray,  claiming  he  pos-  rya Himanshu Maharaj of Hindu
                                                  “This SIT has no power to inves-
                                                                                                                  Dham in Ayodhya warned politi-
                                                                                sesses evidence relating to an alleged
            tuted a three-member Special In-  tigate, so this SIT is just a fraud in the   land  scam  involving  properties  ac-  cians against turning the controver-
            vestigation Team (SIT) on June 14   eyes of the people. It is a cover-up of   quired by the trust. He has promised   sy into a partisan issue. “The Ram
            to probe the matter after a request   the entire matter, and the SIT’s only   to present documents to investiga-  Temple is not a subject of politics; it
            from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi     job is to protect influential people,”   tors and questioned why action had   is a subject of spirituality. If you play
            Mandir Trust.                     Kejriwal said.                    not been taken earlier.           politics over the Ram Temple, you
                The issue took a dramatic turn
                                                  Kejriwal  further  intensified  the
                                                                                    In a letter to investigators, Singh
            this week when a First Information   controversy by questioning reports   alleged that several land purchas-  will fall into a pit,” he said.
                                                                                                                      The Acharya defended the Ut-
            Report  (FIR)  was  officially  regis-  that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi   es were made at prices significantly   tar Pradesh government’s handling
            tered under multiple provisions of   Teerth Kshetra Trust had allegedly   above their market values and ac-  of the investigation and urged pa-
            the  Bharatiya  Nyaya Sanhita.  Sev-  declined to provide financial details   cused trust officials of corruption.  tience until the probe is completed.
            eral  individuals,  including  Anukalp   sought  through  official  channels.   However, not everyone agrees   At the same time, he stressed that
            Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash   He suggested that the affair raised   with the opposition’s interpretation   anyone found guilty should face pun-
            Shukla,  Tinnu  Yadav  and  Manish   larger questions about who exercises   of events.                ishment, including imprisonment.
            Yadav, were named in the case.    influence over the temple trust and   The Vishva Hindu Parishad         With court proceedings, police
                While the filing of the FIR ap-
            peared to indicate that authorities   whether a more powerful investiga-  (VHP), which played a central role   investigations  and  political  accusa-
                                                                                                                  tions all unfolding simultaneously,
                                              tion was needed.
                                                                                in the Ram Janmabhoomi move-
            were moving forward with the in-      The opposition’s demands have   ment, has called for a thorough in-  a controversy that began with ques-
            vestigation, political leaders quickly   gone beyond the donation contro-  vestigation but rejected attempts to   tions about temple donations has
            seized on the controversy, trans-  versy. A fresh petition has been   turn the issue into a political weapon.  evolved into one of the most sensi-
            forming it into a broader debate   filed in the Supreme Court seeking   VHP International President   tive political storms in contempo-
            about accountability, transparency   a court-monitored investigation and   Alok Kumar welcomed the filing of   rary India.
            and the management of one of Hin-

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