How much of politics involved in Ram Mandir 'donation theft' scam ?? Can Akhilesh benefit by discrediting Sangh and VHP ??? :::: What happens if Yadavs 'desert Samajwadi Party ??

What happens if Yadavs 'desert Samajwadi Party ??  

Can Akhilesh benefit by discrediting Sangh and VHP ??? :::: What happens if Yadavs 'desert Samajwadi Party ??

How much of politics involved in Ram Mandir 'donation theft' scam ?? Can Akhilesh benefit by discrediting Sangh and VHP ??? :::: What happens if Yadavs 'desert Samajwadi Party ??   

By raising questions about the management of temple funds, the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav is attempting to shed its traditional pro-minority, "anti-temple" image. 

It presents the party as a defender of public faith and devotee trust, aiming to appeal to moderate Hindus and the broader Sanatan community.  

The issue allows the SP to challenge the ruling party's core governance plank: corruption-free administration and Hindu nationalism. By demanding transparency in a deeply religious matter, it puts the ruling BJP and the temple trust on the defensive.  

But there are chances of backlash.

The SP now risks being perceived as attacking or politicizing a highly revered Hindu religious symbol. 

If voters feel the allegations are made in bad faith or lack sufficient proof, it could result in a severe counter-mobilization of the Hindu vote in favor of the BJP.

An overemphasis on temple politics can divert attention from core secular, social-justice, and economic issues, potentially alienating the party's core minority and backward-caste support base.

On June 12, Ayodhya BJP leader Rajneesh Singh sought a CBI investigation and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister’s Office has also sought a factual report from the temple trust , according to an official letter, dated June 23.

On June 25, Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Alok Kumar demanded registration of an FIR if evidence established theft, and later called for the investigation to cover everyone involved.

On June 19, chief minister Yogi Adityanath personally stepped in, declared that “no guilty person will be spared”. 

The CM’s remarks came after, on June 13, he ordered the constitution of a three-member SIT comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, IG Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.

People aware of developments said nearly 150 persons were identified for scrutiny, around two dozen came under detailed examination and recoveries of cash and precious metals were made during the investigation. 

The SIT also found that CCTV footage was available for about 45 days, as per the FIR, filed on Thursday.

On June 23, the SIT submitted its preliminary report, advised registration of a criminal case and suggested structural reforms in the management of temple donations. 

On June 25, temple Trust member Krishna Mohan lodged a police complaint, following which the FIR was filed and eight people were arrested.  

In 2021, Opposition parties had questioned transactions involving land acquired around the temple. That controversy, however, remained confined largely to political allegations and denials. 

But in this case, the investigation was ordered by the BJP government, an FIR has been lodged, arrests have followed, and the probe continues to widen.

A woman stands on the balcony of a residential building with cut-outs of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu god Ram, in Ahmedabad  (2024) 

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Two things dominate Indian and the BJP's political landscapes. One - Hindu-Muslim divide and another anti-Pakistan card.  

The bitterness over Pakistan is not new. It exists even in normal times and is often tapped during elections by the BJP leadership and PM Narendra Modi himself. The opposition poll managers say the ruling BJP does so only to garner votes.

PM Modi and the BJP have been banking heavily on Hindutva (literally “Hindu-ness”). This political ideology advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform India, constitutionally a secular state, into an ethno-religious nation.

Prime Minister Modi likes to call India the 'mother of democracy,' but he misses the point that sheer communalism is a strict anti-thesis to religion and democracy, says political analyst Ramakanto Shanyal in West Bengal.

However, on the other hand, the main opposition Congress, in the name of 'secularism' and protecting the rights of minorities, also plays the religion card in more ways than one.

The can of worms was opened in 2024 by Modi himself when he dubbed the Congress party’s election manifesto as “a footprint of the Muslim League,” which is held responsible for the partition of the Indian subcontinent to create Pakistan.

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