Awadhesh Prasad, a Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament from Ayodhya, accused the Yogi Adityanath government of stealing donations meant for the Ram Mandir.
The allegation targets the financial management of one of India's most significant religious sites. If the claims of misappropriation are verified, it could trigger a political crisis in Uttar Pradesh and undermine public trust in the administration of temple funds.
Prasad said Saturday that the state government mishandled or misappropriated funds intended for the temple. He described the situation as a case of corruption and the political misuse of religious donations.
"... This is a massive robbery. Donations worth crores have been stolen — and that too from Lord Ram's temple," Prasad said [1].
While the MP alleged that donations worth crores of Indian rupees have been stolen [1], he did not specify the exact amount of the missing funds. The claims focus on the alleged theft of money contributed by devotees for the construction and maintenance of the temple in Ayodhya.
The Samajwadi Party representative linked the alleged financial irregularities directly to the current state government. He framed the issue as a betrayal of the faith of the donors who contributed to the temple project.
The Yogi Adityanath government has not yet issued a formal response to these specific allegations of theft. The dispute centers on whether the funds were diverted for other purposes or lost through administrative corruption.
“"This is a massive robbery."”
This accusation highlights the volatile intersection of religion and politics in Uttar Pradesh. By framing the alleged corruption as a theft from a deity, the Samajwadi Party is attempting to erode the religious legitimacy of the BJP-led government in its own stronghold of Ayodhya.
