Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal sharpened the opposition attack on the BJP on Monday, using a rhyming political jibe to link the ruling party with allegations of donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and urging voters to remove it from power.
The Independent MP wrote on X that the government should be defeated, alleging in Hindi that it had “looted Ram” and “looted the country”, while dismissing the “achche din” slogan as false. His remarks came as the alleged embezzlement of temple offerings gathered political force after the arrest of eight people associated with the handling and counting of cash and valuables received from devotees.
The case has placed the BJP on the defensive because the Ayodhya temple has been central to its political messaging for decades. The temple’s consecration in January 2024 was projected as a defining achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, making allegations of theft from offerings at the shrine particularly damaging in a politically charged environment.
A special investigation team was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government after allegations surfaced earlier this month. An FIR was registered on the basis of a preliminary report, naming eight people allegedly linked to the donation counting process. The accused include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
Police have said those arrested were connected with the counting of donations and valuables at the temple. About ₹79.85 lakh has been recovered so far, while investigators are examining whether the alleged irregularities point to a wider breach in cash-handling procedures. Searches were carried out at the homes of the accused, with local magistrates accompanying police teams.
The accused were produced before a court in Ayodhya and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. Investigators are also looking into assets allegedly disproportionate to the known income of some suspects, including property purchases and high-value vehicles. The inquiry is expected to examine the role of temple staff, outsourced personnel and those with access to counting facilities.
The controversy has widened beyond a criminal probe into a political confrontation over accountability, religious trust and the management of high-value donations. Opposition parties have questioned how alleged theft could take place at a shrine that receives heavy security attention and is linked to one of the BJP’s most prominent political projects.
Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed the State Bank of India had sought the removal of some personnel posted at the temple’s donation counting centre three months ago. He asked who had protected them and accused the ruling establishment of failing to answer basic questions about oversight. The Congress has also targeted Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the handling of the matter.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has described the alleged theft as a grave betrayal of faith and urged followers of Sanatan Dharm not to support the BJP. He has questioned the credibility of the probe and argued that the issue goes beyond ordinary financial misconduct because it concerns donations made by devotees in the name of Lord Ram.
The BJP has rejected the opposition’s allegations as politically motivated and accused rivals of using a criminal investigation to attack faith and stir appeasement politics. Party leaders have maintained that the law is taking its course and that arrests made in the case show that wrongdoing, if established, will not be shielded.
The case has also triggered responses from sections of the legal community. The Faizabad Bar Association has resolved that its members should not defend the accused and has called for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. The Supreme Court, however, declined to grant an urgent hearing on a plea seeking a CBI-led investigation, indicating that the matter did not require immediate intervention at that stage.
