UP Deputy CM Accuses Opposition of Appeasement Politics Over Ram Temple Donations

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Friday, June 26, alleged that the controversy surrounding the Ram temple donation case was part of a conspiracy involving the Samajwadi Party and the Congress . He asked why no one questioned what happened to the donations collected for the Babri Masjid. “The Babri Masjid also collected donations. Nobody is asking what happened to that money. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress are only indulging in appeasement politics and attacking Sanatan Dharma to woo Muslim voters,” a visibly fretted Pathak told reporters in Mirzapur when questioned about the controversy. His remarks came a day after the Ayodhya Police registered an FIR regarding the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, following the recommendations of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which led to the arrest of eight people. Opposition parties have alleged that the case names only lower-level employees while shielding senior functionaries. Asked about the opposition’s charge that only junior employees had been booked, Pathak said police would conduct a fair investigation and the BJP government followed a policy of “zero tolerance” towards corruption. “Are you in the police or are we? The police will investigate the matter impartially,” he said. Pathak, however, urged reporters to question opposition leaders about the funds collected for the Babri Masjid and alleged that the SP and the Congress were practising appeasement politics. He also alleged that illegal madrasas in border districts were receiving terror funding. He said the state government investigated such institutions, shut down illegal operations and sent those responsible to jail.