Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav on Wednesday alleged that donations made by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya had been siphoned off by people associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s handling of the alleged embezzlement of temple offerings.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said devotees had contributed to the temple out of faith and devotion, but alleged that the donations were misappropriated.
“People came to the temple with their faith and devotion, and they offered donations and contributions at Lord Ram’s feet, but BJP people and their associates have also swallowed up these donations,” she said.
The SP MP also questioned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying it was his responsibility to explain how such an alleged incident could have taken place.
“When such a major incident happened in Ayodhya, our Chief Minister was visiting Ayodhya continuously. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of our Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to explain how such massive theft of donations could happen,” she said.
Referring to an earlier probe into alleged land-related irregularities, Yadav claimed that Special Investigation Teams (SITs) had failed to produce concrete outcomes.
“An SIT probe took place two years ago regarding land scams. What was the outcome of that SIT investigation? Has anything come to light till date? These SIT committees are formed purely for lip service–just to distract people’s attention until the issue fades away,” she alleged.
Yadav asserted that the Samajwadi Party would continue to raise issues it considers important in Parliament.
“Whichever key issues exist, Samajwadi Party will work to raise them with full force. Because we are in the opposition, our role is to bring forward the facts and the current situation the country is going through. We will fulfil that duty completely,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party MPs, led by party chief Akhilesh Yadav, staged a protest at Parliament’s Makar Dwar over the misappropriation of Ram Temple donations, demanding a high-level investigation into the matter.
“The point remains the same: those who failed to protect the ‘Daan-Paatra’ (donation box) and who could not safeguard the offerings made with devotion, how can one expect them to prevent paper leaks or ensure exams are not cancelled? The message is clear: those capable of trifling with faith are also trifling with the future of our youth. The government itself is the biggest crisis,” the SP chief said.
The protest comes as the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a fresh SIT, headed by Inspector General of Police Kiran S, to investigate the alleged embezzlement of offerings at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple following directions from the Supreme Court.