Ram Temple donation ‘theft’ row: In Ayodhya, BJP distances from Trust but banks on ‘Yogiji’s action’ to fix the rot

Bundles of a special edition of Sandesh, a quarterly magazine published by the Information Department of the Uttar Pradesh government on the Ram Temple flag-hoisting ceremony, lie stacked at the BJP’s new office in Ayodhya’s Saadatganj area awaiting distribution.

But unlike these magazines — an older October-December 2025 edition celebrating one of the recent milestones in the construction of the Ram Temple — BJP leaders in Ayodhya have distanced themselves from the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in temple donations, calling it a matter between the “Ram Temple and the Trust” and maintaining that neither institution has any BJP face associated with it.

However, when confronted with questions on the issue, party workers and leaders offer a common response: “Yogi ji ne kaha hai, aap dekhiyega, action hoga aur sara system durust ho jayega (Yogiji has said that action will be taken and the entire system will be streamlined).”

“Our core voter knows that those who stayed away from visiting the temple, fearing the impact on their vote bank, are simply doing politics over the issue,” said Manoj Verma, former general secretary of the BJP’s Ayodhya district unit and the lone office-bearer present at the BJP’s Mahanagar office.

Claiming that the issue would have little electoral impact because action would be taken and that public anger was directed against those guilty of theft, Verma said, “Har koi chahta hai ki karyawahi ho aur dhang ki karyawahi ho, taki koi is tarah ki harkat na kar sake… Par main nahi manta ki election mein mandir koi mudda ban payega… Chaan been hogi, Yogi ji chhorne wale nahi hai (Everyone wants action and proper action so that nobody can indulge in such acts again. But I do not believe the temple issue will become an election issue. There will be an investigation and Yogi ji will not spare the culprits).”

A few kilometres away, at the BJP’s old office in Civil Lines, party functionaries from gram pradhans to current and former office-bearers were present. They said they had been instructed not to speak officially or post on social media about the matter. Yet, the issue clearly weighed on their minds and many said they were waiting for “action” before responding to the Opposition.

“This is not our issue. The Ram Temple authorities and the Trust should explain what went wrong and where. Is there any BJP face there?” asked a veteran party functionary.

He added that he had been associated with the Ram Temple movement since the early 1990s, when activists carried bricks to villages, organised pujas and collected consecrated shilas from different blocks as part of the movement while working with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He also claimed to have been present when the disputed structure was demolished.

While many BJP workers continue to identify strongly with the Ram Temple movement, several senior leaders do not associate themselves as closely with the current institutional structure. One such worker remarked, “Bahut kuch badal gaya hai” (A lot has changed). Younger functionaries, however, recalled going door-to-door to collect donations for the temple’s construction.

“In villages, if you tell even an addict that you are carrying money meant for the temple, he would not dare snatch it from you. But in this case, they took Ram ka paisa (Lord Ram’s money),” said a young mandal-level functionary.

“We are not saying anything yet. Let the action take place and then we will respond appropriately,” he added.

“First, we got the blot of losing Ayodhya and now this. But trust me, mistakes will not be repeated in 2027.”

He said party workers were avoiding defending anyone over the issue in public discussions or at tea stalls because they feared it could backfire at present and were instead limiting themselves to saying, “Yogi ji, Modi ji thik kar denge” (Yogi ji and Modi ji will fix it).

“People remain connected to the belief that Yogi ji and Modi ji will set things right,” said Rajesh Singh, a local BJP leader.

Supporting him, Vipin Singh, general secretary of the BJP’s Ayodhya unit, said, “People are saddened, but there has been no decline in faith. Everyone remains confident.”

While BJP’s public representatives in the district avoided commenting on the issue, district president Radhye Shyam Tyagi, who said he was attending a local event in the Gosaiganj area, stated: “It is true that an incident has taken place, but prompt action was initiated and an SIT was constituted as soon as the information came to light. Once the SIT report is submitted, all those found guilty will be punished.”

“Koi bhi bakhsha nahi jayega (No one will be spared),” he added.