Mahua slams BJP over Ram Temple ‘theft’, says ‘playing with faith of millions of Hindus’

3 min readNew DelhiJul 7, 2026 10:14 PM IST

Slamming Adityanath, Moitra alleged the UP CM wanted to utilise the issue “politically” in the 2027 Assembly polls in the state. (ANI photo)

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday questioned why the registration of an FIR in relation to the alleged donation theft at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple was delayed, while accusing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of playing “good cop, bad cop” in the issue.

TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “playing with the faith of millions of Hindus” while questioning the process of the ongoing investigation into the case.

Moitra alleged that the same Ram Mandir Trust which has been accused of allowing this alleged theft to take place under its watch is conducting the SIT inquiry, the report of which was to be submitted to Sanjay Prasad, the Principal Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Government, who is himself a member of the same Trust.

Demanding why no FIR was was registered when the alleged theft first came to light, Moitra said reports of eight arrests only surfaced later. “Who are they? They are merely low-level counting staff, some of whom are reportedly employed by a security agency in Varanasi,” she alleged.

“Yesterday, a meeting was held, during which those attending arrived in luxury vehicles worth around Rs 1.5 crore. The outcome of that meeting was the acceptance of the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. Is that enough?…If Champat Rai had known about the matter as early as 2021, as Mahipal Singh has claimed, why was no FIR filed then,” she asked, adding that more than Rs 700 crore was allegedly at play in regard to the alleged theft from donations at the temple.

Slamming Adityanath, Moitra alleged the UP CM wanted to utilise the issue “politically” in the 2027 Assembly polls in the state.

Meanwhile, Azad accused the BJP of having had “no special attachment to Lord Ram” before 1979 and having politicised it before “looting in his name”.

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“Many people associated with the Ram Mandir Trust belong to the RSS and the VHP, and were appointed without proper procedures. The exact scale of the alleged financial irregularities remains unknown. Devotees donated money in good faith, while the head of the Nirmohi Akhara had earlier accused the VHP of financial misappropriation amounting to Rs 1,400 crore,” he alleged.