Akhilesh Yadav alleges BJP shielding 'real culprits' in Ayodhya temple offerings theft

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was shielding influential people involved in the reported theft of offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaking at a 'Brahmin Sammelan' at the SP state headquarters in Lucknow, Mr. Yadav claimed that lower-level employees had been arrested while the "real culprits" remained protected.

Mr. Yadav said the donation box was locked from the top but accused someone of digging a tunnel underneath. "If anyone has committed the biggest sin, it is the BJP because they have even stolen the offerings made to Lord Ram," he alleged. He further stated that those responsible for stealing "Ram Dhan" would be punished by Lord Ram and would not win elections.

The SP chief asserted that such a large-scale theft could not have been carried out by junior employees alone. "The truth is that the theft is so huge that neither you nor I can even imagine it," he said, adding that influential people must be involved.

In a swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr. Yadav said he had made a "world record" of visiting Ayodhya the maximum number of times but remained unaware of the alleged theft. He also criticised BJP leaders for asking SP workers to produce receipts for donations made to the Ram temple, calling it shameful. "In Hindu traditions, donations are not made for obtaining receipts," he said.

Targeting Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Mr. Yadav alleged that he remembered donation receipts because he had once been linked to a "fake receipt scam" related to collecting donations. He claimed the public had already punished him electorally.

The SP president also referred to complaints regarding E20 petrol and alleged, without elaborating, that there was a "big game" in its implementation. He further claimed the BJP's acronym stood for "Bhrasht (corrupt), Julmi (oppressive) and Paapi (sinful)".

Mr. Yadav alleged large-scale corruption in the construction of the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway and questioned the quality of other expressways built during the BJP government's tenure. He also accused the Uttar Pradesh Police of treating people unjustly, saying the public had never faced as much "deception and humiliation" as under the BJP government.