India opposition stages Ram Temple donation protest skit; BJP hits back

Opposition parties in India escalated their protest against alleged donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya by staging a symbolic skit within the Parliament complex. The demonstration, involving leaders from the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP), aimed to highlight accusations of "chanda chori" (offerings theft) and also referenced a recent police crackdown on student protests.

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A united Opposition is raising this issue… The Samajwadi Party is leading the fight because our leader Akhilesh Yadav exposed the ‘donation theft’. Today, the matter is being discussed across the country…and it is our responsibility to pursue it as entrusted to us by the people of Ayodhya. Ayodhya is the land of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram. If Ayodhya has been insulted, we will raise the issue with full determination. We will also raise it in Parliament and demand a discussion.

During the protest, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, placed money into donation boxes positioned near the Parliament's main entrance. Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, known as Pappu Yadav, participated by sitting with the boxes and symbolically taking money from them, a gesture intended to represent the alleged misappropriation of temple funds. Several other opposition lawmakers briefly joined the skit.

The Samajwadi Party, which has been vocal on the issue, stated its commitment to pursuing the matter. Ayodhya MP Awdhesh Prasad asserted that the opposition is united in raising the issue, emphasizing their responsibility to the people of Ayodhya and the sanctity of the land of Lord Ram. He declared that any insult to Ayodhya would be met with full determination, both within Parliament and across the country.

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It is in poor taste. The government took swift action against the accused, the entire process of donation collection has been sanitised and is being monitored… no one has been spared.

In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the opposition's actions, deeming the skit "in poor taste" and an attempt to denigrate the Hindu faith. A senior BJP lawmaker, speaking anonymously, pointed out that the government had already taken swift action against the accused and sanitized the donation collection process. The BJP accused the opposition of spreading misinformation and attempting to disrupt parliamentary proceedings, suggesting their motives were political rather than genuine concern.

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People of this country can see through the Opposition’s attempts to spread misinformation. They will be punished for insulting Hindu saints.

Officials indicated that the Speaker's office might convene a meeting with lawmakers to reinforce existing guidelines for protests within Parliament premises, aiming to prevent disruptions to the movement of MPs.

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They wanted to use the students’ protest as an excuse to disrupt the House. When that did not work, they switched to the donation issue. The truth is that the Opposition does not want the House to function.