Keeping up with UP: Will there be political fallout from Ram Temple donation issue

THe alleged irregularities in the pound Temple donation accumulation feature mortified the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its web of organisations, or Sangh Parivar, even though its political fallout is hard to predict.A three-member Special Investigation Team was constituted to probe the matter, and all eight accused named in the first information report have been arrested. The houses of the accused were raided, and cash was recovered.Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which runs the temple, and Anil Mishra, a trustee, have submitted their resignations. Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, who has been named as the alleged kingpin, worked as Rai’s driver. The arrested accused also include two of Mishra’s relatives.Despite these actions, the government’s approach has raised doubts about its intent. The construction of a grand Ram Temple has been a core ideological issue for the Sangh Parivar, and its most important slogan, “Jai Shri Ram,” has been linked to it.The approach has been in contrast with chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s public image as a tough administrator. The government was seen moving slowly amid the silence of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ideological fount, RSS, and affiliate Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).The devotees are aghast. They have been visiting the temple in droves, with offerings ranging from silver, gold, diamonds, and cash from ₹1 to crores.Controversies are not new to Ayodhya. The RSS-BJP leadership previously countered them aggressively, calling the temple a matter of faith and not politics. Now, they face an acid test of credibility, that too on a religious issue. There is impatience, but the faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath remains. In Ayodhya and beyond, the common refrain is: “Something is holding back Adityanath, or else by now his bulldozers would have razed the houses of the accused.”Concerns are growing within the BJP about the fallout of the issue ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh due next year. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has promised to restore Ayodhya’s glory if elected. Adityanath has hit back, reminding Yadav of the crackdown on the movement for the construction of the Ram Temple in place of the demolished Babri Masjid during SP’s rule in the 1990s.BJP’s Ayodhya spokesman Rajneesh Singh admitted that elections in all five states next year will be impacted if Adityanath is restrained from taking action. He said Ram devotee Adityanath will not disappoint devotees without clarifying who is restraining the chief minister.SP leader Tej Narayan Pandey questioned how the BJP governments, both at the Centre and the state, can disown their responsibilities, as the irregularities happened under their nose. He added that they formed the trust for the temple construction and picked members from the Sangh Parivar. Pandey said Adityanath visited Ayodhya at least twice a week. He added that the public is crediting Akhilesh Yadav for exposing the irregularities.LK Advani led the then-fledgling BJP when he made the Ram Temple a core issue, and the party’s seats jumped to 89 in the 1989 national elections from two in 1984. Advani undertook a 10,000 km campaign from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya for the temple construction, helping the BJP’s message seep through the countryside. In the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 120 seats. In Uttar Pradesh, it won its first simple majority under temple movement proponent Kalyan Singh.The issue has not always worked. Even after the construction and inauguration of the temple in Ayodhya, the BJP lost the Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections. The BJP won eight Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 1989 Lok Sabha polls. They rose to 51 seats in 1991, 57 in 1998, and 51 in 1996. The BJP won 32 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 1999, 10 in 2004, and 2009. The tide turned when the BJP won 71 of the 80 seats in 2014 and 62 in 2019.The SP registered its best performance in the 2024 national polls, bagging 37 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP’s seats in the state fell from 62 in 2019 to 33, as the party’s overall tally dropped below the majority mark in Parliament, making it dependent on allies for retaining power.In the state assembly polls, the BJP’s growth started in 1989 when it bagged 57 seats. Its tally soared to 221 in 1991 but dropped to 177 in 1996, 80 in 2002, 51 in 2007, and 47 in 2012.The BJP won 312 of 403 assembly seats in 2017 and returned to power. But the tally fell to 255 in 2022 even as the foundation of the Ram Temple was laid in 2020.The alleged irregularities in the offerings may impact the BJP’s prospects if the government fails to take convincing action. The public wants the government to get the big fish. The government will have to act decisively. The clock is ticking, and the Ram devotees are watching.