Ram mandir theft row: Speaker's 'true devotion' remark sparks political storm

Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker Satish Mahana has come under fire from the Opposition after suggesting that those demanding the return of donations allegedly stolen from the Ayodhya Ram temple "may not have donated with true devotion", even as the investigation into the embezzlement case gathered pace with fresh searches and recoveries.

The controversy erupted after Mahana, responding to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's demand that devotees' donations be returned following the alleged theft, remarked in a video aired by a news portal that those seeking their money back may not have donated with "true" devotion.

His comments drew sharp criticism from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), prompting the veteran BJP leader to clarify on Wednesday, 15 July that his remarks were directed solely at Singh and not at devotees in general. "Offerings made by us were not stolen because we can see it in the form of the grand Ram temple standing in Ayodhya," Mahana told PTI Videos.

He maintained that the alleged theft involved only a portion of the offerings and pointed out that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already been constituted, the accused arrested and the investigation was progressing.

"It is unfortunate that some people committed theft there. The government has constituted an SIT, action has been taken and the accused have been sent to jail. Whoever is involved, irrespective of his position, must be punished," he said.

Clarifying his earlier remarks, Mahana said they were made in response to Digvijaya Singh's demand for a refund of his donation. "When Digvijaya Singh said his money should be returned, I said that perhaps he had not donated with devotion because money offered with devotion is never sought back. Devotees do not ask for a return of their offerings," he said.

He added that it was incorrect to suggest all donations made by devotees had been stolen. "The money lying in the trust's accounts belongs to devotees. How can anyone say that all the money donated by devotees has been stolen? The theft is unfortunate and those responsible are being punished, but devotion cannot be measured in monetary terms," he said.

The clarification, however, failed to quell the political row. "According to Assembly speaker Satish Mahana, those whose donations were stolen from the Ram temple did not donate with 'true devotion'. That means there is no failure of the government, the fault lies with the intentions of the devotees," the Uttar Pradesh Congress said in a post on X.

The party also questioned whether the BJP government would now "audit people's faith", adding, "Criminals are emboldened in Uttar Pradesh, while those in power are offering such bizarre arguments."

The SP's media cell described Mahana's remarks as "highly shameful and condemnable. Satish Mahana should refrain from making such statements. He should speak in a manner befitting the dignity of the office of the Assembly speaker and should not play with public sentiment".

The party added that while it had often criticised chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Mahana, as an experienced constitutional authority, was expected to exercise greater restraint.

Mahana, meanwhile, questioned the concern being expressed by Opposition leaders whom he accused of having opposed the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. "Those who opposed the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, who sent people to jail for raising the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan, who never visited the temple before or after its construction are now expressing concern over the Ram temple. That is surprising to me," he said.

Referring again to Singh's demand, he added, "If he believes that he had not donated with devotion and wants his money back, then the trust can return it or I will return it."

He also objected to remarks suggesting the alleged theft would not have occurred had a Muslim been associated with the temple's donation management. "Does that mean the entire Hindu community is dishonest? Such statements are unacceptable to Hindu society," he said.

Meanwhile, investigators intensified the probe into the alleged embezzlement. A police team on Wednesday took accused Ramashankar Mishra to his rented accommodation in Ayodhya, where officials recovered a bag containing land-related documents that are now being examined for possible links to the alleged diversion of temple funds, official sources said.

The room was sealed after the search and investigators also seized the DVR of the CCTV system installed at the house. Searches were simultaneously conducted at premises linked to another accused, Subhash Srivastava, with police examining documents and other material recovered during the operation.

Investigators are probing whether the accused used the allegedly embezzled donation money to purchase property or make other investments. If evidence of illegal assets or suspicious financial transactions emerges, it will be incorporated into the case diary, sources said.

Police have already interrogated four other accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey — during earlier spells of remand. According to sources, those interrogations led to the recovery of two SUVs allegedly purchased using the misappropriated money, besides cash, gold and investment documents.

Investigators have also claimed that part of the allegedly siphoned funds was invested in interest-based lending and the stock market.

The alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations came to light in the first week of June, following which the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT on 13 June. An FIR was registered on 25 June after the SIT submitted its preliminary report, leading to the arrest of eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process.

During the investigation, police have recovered cash from multiple accused, with the highest seizure being Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, besides gold, silver, foreign currency and a donation box labelled 'Ramrajya Kosh'.