A temple scandal becomes a political flashpoint
What began as an internal financial probe into the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has escalated into one of the sharpest political confrontations around the Ram Mandir since its 2024 consecration, with opposition leaders accusing the ruling BJP of presiding over a cover-up and the party firing back by questioning the opposition's own history with the temple movement.
What opposition leaders have alleged
Several opposition figures have gone public with sharply worded — and, in some cases, sharply disputed — claims about the scale of the alleged theft:
Arvind Kejriwal (AAP national convenor) has posted a video on X alleging that "donations worth crores of rupees" were stolen from the temple, specifically citing missing items including Lord Ram's necklace, ceremonial footwear, diamonds, ornaments, silver bricks, and silver lamps. He has separately called on the government to act against "bigger names" rather than only junior functionaries, saying, "Mere arrest of the smaller names will not do anything," and accused the BJP of having "used Sanatan and Lord Ram for political power and money."
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh — rather than Kejriwal himself — is the source of the widely cited figure that "more than ₹200 crore" was stolen from the temple's donation boxes, with over 50 employees allegedly involved, according to a VHP letter to Ayodhya police.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav went further still, alleging a scam worth nearly ₹20,000 crore, claiming that 50 kg each of gold and silver, diamond necklaces, and crores of rupees in cash donated by devotees from India and abroad had gone missing without appearing in official records — and that the conspiracy extended beyond junior staff and former trust general secretary Champat Rai to "several influential individuals."
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress) questioned on X whether "mere low-level employees, on their own, [could] turn off CCTV cameras and tamper with thousands of crores in offerings, or is there complicity of some big players behind it," calling for a transparent probe rather than what she termed a "cover-up in the name of investigation."
Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party chief) raised early questions about the neutrality of the SIT investigation and, at a Lucknow press conference, said CCTV footage linked to the case had gone missing, calling for greater transparency in the probe.
Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena UBT) alleged that ornaments belonging to Lord Ram and Mother Sita — including a gold mangalsutra offered to Sita and a golden Ramcharitmanas — had been stolen, and claimed those responsible for the theft were themselves BJP members, a charge he framed in inflammatory terms by calling them "the BJP's Mohammed Ghaznavi." His party, under Uddhav Thackeray, has since launched a "Ram Raksha Andolan" protest movement starting in Mumbai and expanding across Maharashtra, with Thackeray also alleging that funds from the temple theft were being used to "break" rival political parties and calling for the entire trust to be dissolved.
The BJP and VHP response
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has repeatedly promised strict action against anyone found guilty, telling a public gathering that "no one" would be spared and urging people not to let critics "cast an evil eye" on Ayodhya. He has also turned the criticism back on the opposition, pointing to their historical opposition to temple-related causes: "Those who protested against Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Mathura-Vrindavan, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and even denied the existence of Lord Ram are now speaking about faith being played with." Separately, UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak directly invoked the Babri Masjid dispute, calling Akhilesh Yadav "anti-Sanatan" and saying Yadav "never questioned the Babri Masjid donations" while focusing solely on Ram Mandir funds.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has taken a more procedural route: International President Alok Kumar has formally written to Ayodhya Police asking that Kejriwal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sanjay Singh, and Ram Gopal Yadav be questioned over their public claims, arguing that leaders making such specific, high-value allegations "appear to possess knowledge relevant to the investigation" and should share any evidence with investigators. Kumar was careful to frame this as a request for cooperation rather than an accusation, telling reporters, "I have not pointed fingers at anyone... investigators should seek their help since they appear to know things that even we are not aware of." He also disputed the scale of some claims directly, saying of Ram Gopal Yadav's ₹20,000-crore figure: "According to the information received by us, such an amount was not even received." The VHP has indicated that if allegations are found to be baseless and intended to incite "hatred, ill will and enmity," it wants police to consider legal action — while equally stating that if the claims are backed by evidence, that evidence should be used to strengthen the investigation.
What we could and couldn't verify
Some specific claims and phrases circulating about this controversy could not be independently confirmed in current reporting as of this writing — including a precise quote attributed to Akhilesh Yadav about "neither donations nor votes," and reports of Yogi Adityanath using the specific phrase "spit jihad" (a term other BJP leaders have used in unrelated contexts) in direct connection with this case. These details should be verified against original video/audio before being presented as confirmed quotes.
Where the investigation itself stands
Beneath the political noise, the Special Investigation Team's actual probe continues. Eight men have been arrested and remain in judicial custody; roughly ₹80 lakh has been recovered so far against the disputed theft estimates running from ₹7 crore (the original complaint) up to the far larger figures cited by opposition leaders. Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have both resigned. Investigators are now examining a new angle — whether stolen gold and silver ornaments were melted into gold biscuits to avoid detection — and have sought transaction records from India's government-owned Mint. The Supreme Court has so far declined to fast-track a public interest litigation seeking a court-monitored, independent probe.
Why this matters beyond Ayodhya
The Ram Mandir has been central to the BJP's political identity for decades, making any scandal touching its finances unusually sensitive for the party — and correspondingly tempting for opposition parties to amplify. At the same time, the scale of some opposition figures' claims (₹20,000 crore, for instance) significantly exceeds what the temple trust has said it received in total donations and precious-metal offerings, giving the BJP and VHP an opening to question the evidentiary basis for the most dramatic allegations even as the underlying SIT investigation continues to substantiate real irregularities. Both dynamics are likely to keep this story moving on two tracks simultaneously: a slow-moving criminal investigation, and a fast-moving political slugfest that shows no sign of cooling before the case reaches its next milestones in court.
This article reflects reporting as of July 6, 2026. Given the volume of competing claims from political figures on all sides, verify specific figures and quotes against primary video/audio sources before publishing, particularly for claims flagged above as unconfirmed.