- Pappu Yadav protested Ram Mandir donation theft dressed as priest.
- Carried donation box, Rahul Gandhi joined unique demonstration.
- Opposition alleges embezzlement, deleted CCTV footage, no receipts.
Parliament Monsoon Session: Amid the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament, opposition MPs on Friday staged a protest over the alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement. While the other MPs raised slogans and demanded an independent probe, independent MP Pappu Yadav protested in a unique way by dressing like a priest. The Purnea MP was also seen carrying a donation box at the parliament to highlight his message.
Pappu Yadav's Unique Protest
Yadav, during his protest, was also seen interacting with senior leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. In the viral video, the senior Congress leader is seen placing a piece of paper inside the donation box, a gesture to represent the alleged embezzlement of donations.
Apart from this, the independent MP also touched the feet of Awadhesh Prasad, the MP from Faizabad, where the Ram Mandir is located. He was also seen asking the fellow MPs to put money inside his pocket rather than the donation box, leading to laughter among the other parliamentarians.
#WATCH | Delhi | Monsoon Session of the Parliament | Opposition MPs stage a protest over the issue of alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement pic.twitter.com/W3netnDNPI
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2026
'CCTV Footages Deleted'
While talking to the reporters, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav alleged that the devotees were not issued receipts, adding that multiple CCTV footages were deleted as well. "Consider the events in Ayodhya: devotees who went to make offerings were not issued receipts; funds were taken before reaching the donation box. At the counting site, CCTV cameras captured seventy videos of irregularities within just a few days, yet all the old footage was subsequently deleted," Yadav was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
"Our protest was symbolic, highlighting the daylight robbery taking place in Ayodhya. This looting has been going on since the trust for the construction of Lord Shri Ram’s temple was formed in 2020...All this money has ended up in the pockets and bank accounts of people associated with the BJP, RSS, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad," he added.
With just a few months remaining in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, the opposition parties, especially the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP and Congress, are set to highlight the issue.