Mumbai, Sep 23 — Launching a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological allies, Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Wednesday termed the recurring thefts at the Ayodhya Ram Temple a "stain on national pride".
The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party's mouthpiece, 'Saamana', alleged that those who rode to power under the banner of Hindutva have compromised the solemn sacrifices of Kar Sevaks.
Referring to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) status report submitted to the Supreme Court by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Monday, the editorial highlighted that CCTV footage and forensic audits have confirmed 105 separate instances of currency theft and donation siphoning from the temple's counting room. It emphasised that this legal disclosure directly exposes earlier statements of leaders, like Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had dismissed opposition claims as "false propaganda" to malign Hindutva.
"The revelation before the Supreme Court is a resounding slap in the face of those who tried to cover up the thefts by calling the allegations an anti-Hindutva conspiracy. The self-proclaimed watchdogs (Chowkidars) of Hindutva turned out to be the thieves themselves," the editorial asserted.
Comparing the internal looting to historic invasions, the editorial claimed that even Mahmud of Ghazni had not looted Hindu temples 105 times, accusing the BJP camp’s insiders of acting as modern-day plundering invaders.
The Thackeray camp accused BJP-linked individuals of acquiring land around the temple site cheaply and selling it back to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust at inflated, multi-crore prices. It alleged that Ayodhya has been converted from a spiritual pilgrimage into a commercial venture for corporate allies and celebrity sycophants.
The editorial slammed the ruling party for disrupting Parliamentary proceedings to deny a debate on the temple thefts, declaring that refusing to discuss the looting of Lord Ram’s treasury is the ultimate act of treason against the deity.
It further noted that while genuine devotees and Kar Sevaks shed their blood in Ayodhya, those who fled during the Babri demolition now control the temple trust's keys, stealing cash, ornaments of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita, and mismanaging public offerings.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena asserted that had the Opposition not exposed the scam through public agitation, including Shiv Sena(UBT)’s 'Ram Raksha' campaign, and disrupted Parliament, the systematic looting would have expanded unchecked from 105 instances to thousands, potentially resulting in the fraudulent transfer or sale of temple property to favoured industrialists.
Concluding with a stern warning, the editorial questioned the state of the nation's public treasury if a party cannot even secure the donation boxes of its most revered deity.