Rajya Sabha adjourned amid uproar over Ram Temple donation theft allegations

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned until noon on Tuesday after heated exchanges between the Opposition and the treasury benches over allegations of theft of cash and valuables donated to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The disruption began shortly after the House assembled, when Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise allegations of misappropriation involving members of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust responsible for the construction and management of the temple.

Kharge questioned why central investigative agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had not initiated an inquiry into the allegations. He argued that the matter warranted scrutiny as the trust had been constituted by the government and entrusted with managing the temple and its assets.

Before Kharge could complete his remarks, chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan permitted parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju to respond.

Rijiju objected to the issue being raised in the House, accusing the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of repeatedly attempting to politicise the matter both inside and outside Parliament.

As the exchanges intensified, DMK member Tiruchi Siva attempted to raise the arrest of Udhayanidhi Stalin. However, the chairman ruled that it was a state matter and could not be taken up in the House.

Kharge again pressed for a government response, saying the allegations concerned the faith of millions of devotees and required an impartial investigation.

Countering the Opposition, Rijiju accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of having historically opposed the Ram Temple movement. He alleged that they were now staging political protests over what he described as "donation theft" allegations and demanded that Opposition leaders apologise for their earlier stance on the temple.

The sharp exchange led to members from both sides moving towards the front rows of the House, where they shouted slogans and traded accusations. Amid the continuing uproar, chairman Radhakrishnan adjourned the proceedings until 12 noon.

With IANS inputs