Ram temple donation row, student protests fuel fresh Parliament confrontation

Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, staged a protest in the Parliament complex on Monday over the alleged theft of donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the use of force against students demonstrating over a paper leak.

The parliamentarians gathered outside the Makar Dwar carrying placards and demanding that Union home minister Amit Shah address Parliament over the police action during the 20 July student protest.

A symbolic donation box was placed at the protest site to highlight the Opposition’s allegations about the misuse or theft of funds donated to the Ram temple. MPs stood around the box and raised slogans against the government.

They shouted slogans including “chhanda chor, gaddi chor”, “Amit Shah jawaab do” and “chanda chor kahan milenge, BJP ke daftar mein”.

Most of the participating MPs belonged to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. They lined up behind a large banner carrying the message “Amit Shah jawaab do” and demanded accountability from the Home Minister.

The INDIA bloc has resolved to intensify pressure on the government over what it described as “chhanda chori” and the use of “brutal force” against students protesting over alleged examination irregularities.

Earlier on Monday, floor leaders of the Opposition alliance met in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge at the Parliament complex. The leaders discussed their strategy for raising both issues in the two Houses.

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have remained disrupted over the Opposition’s demands, with much of the legislative business being conducted amid protests and sloganeering.

With PTI inputs