Yogi Adityanath: Donation Theft Hurt Devotees, but Ayodhya Defamation Unjustified
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday stated that the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has deeply hurt the sentiments of Ram devotees, but cautioned against using the incident to defame the city or the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Speaking at an event in Lucknow, Adityanath acknowledged the distress caused by the incident, saying, “The Ayodhya incident has certainly hurt the faith of every Ram devotee like us.” He emphasised that his government acted promptly by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the request of the Temple Trust to probe the allegations of donation theft.
The Chief Minister outlined the actions taken so far: “As soon as the SIT report came, the Trust started to take action. The six people who were caught stealing in the CCTV footage were arrested. Those who were helping them were also arrested. And along with the arrests, two resignations (Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra) were also given on moral grounds.” He then questioned the motives of those criticising the temple administration: “But to defame Ayodhya, to defame Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, and to attack the faith of Hindus using this incident — how is this justified?”
Adityanath targeted the Congress and Samajwadi Party for raising the issue of faith, alleging hypocrisy. He claimed, “Those who used to ban Kanwar Yatra, those who used to ban Ram Navami procession, Krishna Janmashtami, are today talking about faith. How ridiculous it is.” He also referenced past actions by these parties, including an affidavit in the Supreme Court that he said questioned the historical existence of Ram and Krishna, and alleged that they had tried to obstruct the construction of the Ram Temple.
The Chief Minister further criticised the opposition parties’ secular credentials, citing an incident where namaz was offered on the steps of Hanumangarhi. He argued, “If you were secular, then if you were getting namaz offered at one place, you should also have had the Hanuman Chalisa recited in a mosque simultaneously. If both had happened together, then it could at least have been accepted that both sides were in agreement. But it was running only one way.”
Adityanath also accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of large-scale corruption during their respective tenures, contrasting it with their concern over the temple donation theft. He said, “Those people who looted the nation’s treasury and created a crisis for the country’s image have today become concerned about the alleged theft of offerings made at the Ayodhya temple. They do not talk about their own plunder.”
The opposition parties have yet to respond to the Chief Minister’s specific allegations. The Ram Temple, a major project for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has been a focal point of religious and political discourse in India.
