A fierce political row has erupted in Uttar Pradesh after Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, labeling him “anti-Sanatan” over his persistent questioning of alleged financial irregularities at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir. The controversy intensified after Yadav accused the temple trust of lacking transparency, citing reports that crores of rupees in devotees’ offerings had gone missing, and subsequently criticized the state government for forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter instead of focusing on youth employment. Lashing out at the opposition leader’s motives, Pathak pointedly asked why the SP chief remained completely silent on the fund management of the proposed Babri Masjid alternative in Dhannipur, asserting that Yadav’s selective scrutiny reveals a purely vote-bank-centric agenda. Pathak assured the public that a thorough, high-level investigation is already underway by a state-appointed three-member SIT—comprising top finance, police, and administrative officials—to address the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s financial functioning, promising that anyone found guilty of malpractice would face strict legal consequences. While the temple trust has adamantly dismissed the embezzlement claims as a calculated conspiracy to tarnish its image, maintaining that routine audits conducted jointly with State Bank of India officials have revealed nothing unusual, the political standoff continues to escalate as opposition leaders demand an independent judiciary-monitored inquiry into the holy site’s cash collections.
