Political tensions in Uttar Pradesh have intensified over the alleged Ram Temple donation irregularities, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath exchanging sharp remarks over the issue.
The latest exchange comes as the controversy over alleged financial irregularities in donations made at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya continues to dominate political discussions. The allegations first surfaced earlier this month when SP leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey claimed that between ₹5 crore and ₹7.5 crore collected through temple offerings had been siphoned off. Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to investigate the matter.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP government of following what he called a “4C formula” chanda (donations), chori (theft), chaturai (cunning) and chalaki (deceit) as reported by news agency Hindustan Times. He also described the BJP government as a “paper leak government”, alleging that repeated examination paper leaks had put the future of students and job aspirants at risk. Yadav claimed that his party’s “Socialist PDA Audit” had highlighted irregularities in recruitment examinations and issues related to Ayodhya, but alleged that the BJP had failed to provide satisfactory answers.
The SP chief further alleged that questions surrounding the handling of donations at the Ram Temple had affected public faith. A day earlier, he had also said that if the Samajwadi Party comes to power, it would develop Ayodhya into an “inimitable” sacred city.
Responding to the criticism, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hit back at Akhilesh Yadav and challenged him to publicly support a movement for the “liberation” of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, similar to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Yogi also criticised the SP leader’s remarks on the Ram Temple issue and accused the opposition of politicising matters related to faith.
He asked, "'Why does not Akhilesh Yadav, who is shedding crocodile tears for Ayodhya, come out in the open and support the idea of a movement for the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi on the pattern of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation and get the pride of Krishna Janmabhoomi restored?”
Without referring directly to the donation controversy, Adityanath said in Hathras, "Akhileshji, Ayodhya has already been transformed by Lord Ram's devotees. Don't worry about it. Repent, visit Ram Lalla once, at least, that will bring you some wisdom. Now, prepare so that we can also do something for Lord Krishna.”
The exchange marks the latest chapter in the political confrontation between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party over the Ram Temple donation controversy. While the opposition continues to question the handling of temple funds, the state government has maintained that the SIT investigation will establish the facts and take appropriate action if any wrongdoing is found.
