Ram Mandir SIT: Can the BJP Contain the Political Fallout of Donation Scam?

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya is at the very core of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) repackaging of Hindutva politics as Sanatan Dharma. But the donations theft row now threatens to test the saffron apparatchiks’ skills in managing perceptions.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government, which has already seen purported leaks in the media, submitted its report to the Supreme Court. The Yogi Adityanath government has been asked by the apex court to appoint an IPS official in the SIT to undertake the probe in the alleged theft of donation money at the temple. While the SIT remains an administrative response by the Adityanath-led administration, the donation row is not just being debated in Parliament but also deepening faultlines within the saffron fold.Ram Temple Donation Theft Turns BJP's 'Ram Rajya' Promise into a Bitter IronyWithin the BJP, the common refrain—that the Ram Temple donation row is an issue for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to deal with—remains. Party leaders underline that it’s for the VHP to take corrective steps. This reasoning is an informal acknowledgement of the fact that while the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerath Kshetra Trust was enacted by Parliament and 12 of its 15 members named by the Central government (and remaining three by the state), the body remains an exclusive domain of the VHP. BJP leaders, in their off-the-record conversations, argue that the VHP actually ran the show in managing the affairs of the Ram temple and they alone should take the brickbats that come on the way following the accusations of financial embezzlement and impropriety.While these assertions may suggest that the party is passing the buck, it also acknowledges the extent of power commanded by the likes of Champat Rai and his associates. Rai was the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust and a de facto boss. His extraordinary influence in the VHP can also be seen in the closing of ranks of powerful functionaries of the Hindu group such as Alok Kumar and Surendra Jain. Rai, who had been international vice president of the VHP before he became the general secretary of the Trust, has taken a vow of silence till the SIT report is made public. The BJP’s eagerness to stay away from the Ram Temple Trust affair also reiterates the demarcation of domains within the larger Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) family—the BJP being the political offshoot and the VHP tasked with affairs of the Hindu religion, as is the case among other RSS affiliates. But the BJP electorally monetised the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which was principally spearheaded by the VHP. With a heavy election calendar looming in another six and a half months, some party leaders feel that some collateral damage may be inevitable.A section of the BJP functionaries claims that the community of “disgruntled leaders” within the party has grown in numbers with the rise of Adityanath as the power centre in Lucknow and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. They point to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been vocal on the Ram Temple donation row, as a example.Sources told The Quint that there are many within the BJP in UP who are not openly vocal critics, but are waiting for the right opportunity to strike. This group, they fear, may hurt the BJP most on the donation row issue. Moreover, an acute concern for the party lies in the apprehension that the donation row may just magnify the existing anti-incumbency against the Adityanath-led government in Lucknow. The eruption of industrial workers' protests in Greater Noida a few months ago is cited as an example of the latent angst against the BJP government in Lucknow.Why Yogi Adityanath is Speaking Louder Than Rahul Gandhi on Ram Mandir TheftThe RSS' response to the Ram Temple donation row, as crafted by general secretary Dattatreya Hosbole in his short video message, has been seen by a section of the BJP leaders as "weak". Though the RSS leader had exhorted that the trust of the people had been hurt, calling for action against the accused, his emphasis was more against those who seek to defame the Hindus. His statement has been seen as another acknowledgment that it’s for the VHP to clean the mess, while signalling the BJP to attack the Opposition for "defaming the Hindu religion."By throwing its weight behind the VHP, per a senior BJP functionary, the RSS has invited the blame on itself for the donation row. In times of elections, when the RSS functionaries hit the ground for the BJP, the people may not be as receptive to them as they had been in the past, said the party functionary, adding, “The RSS is being seen as defender of those under whose watch the temple donations were stolen.”A BJP MLA in UP, who had previously been a minister, told The Quint, “If this donation embezzlement had taken under a Samajwadi Party (SP) government, and if we had been in the Opposition, we would have brought the government to its knees”. He reasoned that while the Ram temple is at the core of Hindutva, the BJP alone is seen by the party associated with the Ayodhya movement."The BJP’s biggest defence lies in the fact that Akhilesh Yadav has till date not gone to the Ram temple", he said, adding that the party will focus on the "legacy" of SP, i.e., the 1990 police firing on Kar Sewaks ordered by his father, then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav, to deflate the narrative around the donation row in the run up to the Assembly elections early next year.This line of attack on the Opposition has already been articulated by Adityanath and is likely to be followed up by other BJP leaders with more aggression in the coming days.The BJP leaders also argue that the Supreme Court’s involvement in the SIT report will bring sanctity to the findings. "Time will heal the hurt feelings of the people, and corrective steps will be taken to restore the faith", a leader said.But word on the streets of UP speaks of an alleged cover up. The Hindi heartland in 2024 had given the BJP a bitter taste by pushing the party behind the SP in the Lok Sabha elections. That’s beginning to haunt the BJP now, in the wake of the Ram Temple donation row—if the Sanatan shield cracks and anti-incumbency gains strength, then the Ram Temple donation row could split the Hindu vote base. (The author is a senior Delhi-based journalist, with over two decades spent in tracing the BJP and Indian politics. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author's onw. The Quint does not endorse or is responsible for them.)

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SIT Probe, RSS Heat: BJP Walks Tightrope on Ram Temple Donation Theft

Within the BJP, the common refrain remains that the Ram Temple donation row is an issue for the VHP to deal with.

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Topics: BJP Hindutva Ram Mandir