Amid the controversy surrounding financial irregularities linked to Ram Temple donations, several Opposition leaders, including Pinarayi Vijayan, Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Uddhav Thackeray have demanded investigation into the matter.
Accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prioritising “donations over the nation” and betraying public faith, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav promised transparent governance, quality education and employment if his party comes to power in the 2027 Assembly elections in the state.
While addressing a press conference in Prayagraj on Monday, Yadav pointed to alleged irregularities in donations for the Ram Temple and claimed that people in Ayodhya suggested the “links of the theft” extended to Karnataka. He claimed that “underground and unregistered” people from Karnataka were involved in election-related conspiracies.
हम धर्मनिष्ठता और सत्यनिष्ठता के साथ ये संकल्प लेते हैं कि नई सरकार बनाकर ‘अयोध्या’ को एक ऐसी अनुपम-अनुकरणीय धार्मिक नगरी के रूप में विकसित करेंगे, जहाँ विश्व भर से आए श्रद्धालु सच्ची आध्यात्मिकता की अद्वितीय अनुभूति करेंगे।
प्रभु के आशीर्वाद के साथ, हम अयोध्या के सनातन मान को…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 27, 2026
Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan has called for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the allegations of large-scale financial irregularities in donations collected from devotees as well as the public for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
In a Facebook post, the former Kerala Chief Minister described the reports of alleged financial misconduct as “extremely serious”. He noted that these raised disturbing questions about the misuse of people’s faith and religious sentiments.
Claiming that the trustees of the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust had close links with organisations affiliated to the Sangh Parivar, Vijayan said they were duty-bound to tell people how the money collected from millions of devotees had been spent.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a post on X, said that the act of “deceitful theft and looting committed against the faith of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram, who upholds truth and righteousness, and his millions of devotees, has stunned the entire nation.”
“Lord Ram is the sacred sentiment of millions of hearts. It is with that very sacred sentiment that people bow their heads in the temple and offer donations. Those who have stolen from the Ram Temple have committed the gravest sin of shattering the fundamental spirit of religion and faith,” she wrote.
She added, “This question is also crucial: Can mere low-level employees, on their own, turn off CCTV cameras and tamper with thousands of crores in offerings, or is there complicity of some big players behind it? In this case, instead of a cover-up in the name of investigation, there should be a transparent probe, and whoever is involved in this act of theft must receive severe punishment.”
सत्य और धर्म को स्थापित करने वाले मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम भगवान राम और उनके करोड़ों भक्तों की आस्था के साथ जो चोरी और लूट का कपटपूर्ण कृत्य किया गया है, उसने पूरे देश को स्तब्ध कर दिया है।
भगवान राम करोड़ों मन का पवित्र भाव हैं। उसी पवित्र भाव से लोग मंदिर में माथा टेकते हैं और दान…
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 26, 2026
TMC MP Mahua Moitra targeted the BJP and said that the ruling party has “no answers” to the matter.
“…They (BJP) claimed to be a ‘Hindu government,’ a ‘Sanatan government.’ They incited riots and sowed division among people in every city and village across the country for the sake of building the Ram Mandir. Yet today, look at what is happening regarding the Ram Mandir, as well as the issues of TET and NEET; the BJP has no answers for this…”
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case and paper leaks, TMC MP Mahua Moitra says, “…They (BJP) claimed to be a ‘Hindu government,’ a ‘Sanatan government.’ They incited riots and sowed division among people in every city and village… pic.twitter.com/PZQu1vLxKF
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2026
Meanwhile Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday slammed the BJP and referred to it as “Babur Janata Party,” accusing it of exploiting the temple for political gain.
“Babur demolished the Ram Mandir. A ‘Babur Janata Party’ has now come to loot the newly constructed temple. What is the different between them? The Times of India quoted Thackeray as saying.
He further question why the saffron party turned the temple “into a shop” and added that they have “betrayed the ideology of Hindutva”.
इस्तीफे की आड़ में चंपत राय और अनिल मिश्रा को बचाया जा रहा है। केवल इस्तीफे से काम नहीं चलेगा। चंदा चोरों को फाँसी दो।
और चंपत राय के आकाओं पर कार्रवाई कब होगी? जिनके इशारे पर वो काम करते थे।
कल जिन लोगों को गिरफ़्तार किया गया, उनकी पुलिस रिमांड भी नहीं ली गई। उनसे कोई पुलिस…
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 27, 2026
All the eight accused arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple were on Monday remanded to 14 days judicial custody by a court in Ayodhya.
According to reports, they were produced before Special Judge, Anti Corruption Court, Rajat Verma via video conferencing.