Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], July 18 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over donation embezzlement case in the Ayodhya Ram Temple, questioning whether the ruling party led the Kar Seva movement to loot the temple afterwards.
Addressing the ‘Ramraksha Maha Aarti’ event in Nagpur, Uddhav Thackeray invoked the idea of ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and alleged the BJP’s involvement in the donation embezzlement.
Accusing the BJP of gaining electoral benefits in the name of Lord Ram, Thackeray called for a “BJP-free Ram.”
Recalling the party’s involvement in Ram Janmabhoomi movement and Kar Seva on December 6, 1992, the UBT Sena chief said, “Garv se kaho hum hindu hain, this slogan was given by Balasaheb. Several Kar Sevaks were injured, and several suffered in police action. ‘Mandir wahin banayenge’, so that you can loot it afterwards?”
“In our Hindu Rashtra, we aspire to have ‘Ram-rajya’ and ‘Shiv-shahi’. It is my father who awakened Hindutva. I will not let the Hindu he awakened fall asleep. Lord Ram ought to protect us, yet today, due to the governance of the BJP–which came to power by seeking votes in Ram’s name–devotees find themselves in a position where they must protect Ram; what greater misfortune could there be for Hindus?” he added.
Describing the ‘Ramraksha’ movement led by Shiv Sena (UBT), he called upon devotees to “protect Lord Ram.”
“If the blood of Hindutva truly runs in your veins, you must clarify your stance regarding the thieves who steal money from temples. Has the spirit of a demon, rather than that of Shri Ram, entered the very BJP that sought votes in the name of Shri Ram? We want a BJP-free Ram. This is the beginning of that movement. The Ram Mandir is not your father’s personal fiefdom! The way this BJP government is behaving–exam papers are being leaked, temple donation boxes are being broken open–is this the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ you had envisioned? Fadnavis-ji, while reciting the ‘Ramraksha’ may be your task, ensuring ‘Ramraksha ‘ is the duty of us devotees of Ram; we are the ‘Ramrakshaks’,” he said.
Uddhav Thackeray, along with party workers, held a Ram Raksha Stotra recitation at Ram Mandir, Ram Nagar, in Nagpur. Party leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut were also present.
Speaking to reporters, MLA Aaditya Thackeray said, “The Ram Mandir has been looted, and the entire country is witnessing this. Hindus everywhere see how the BJP has plundered the Ram Mandir, and they have taken to the streets in protest. We saw how Ram bhakts (devotees) were detained when they took to the streets–such things never happened before, not even during the British Raj. The BJP has ushered in the worst kind of dictatorship our country has ever seen, yet they lack the courage to admit that an ‘Emergency’ is effectively in force.”
Earlier, the party had held the ‘Ramraksha’ protest in Mumbai on July 5.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the Ram Mandir donation row and has stated that, prima facie, around 70 suspicious incidents were captured on CCTV between April 27 and June 5, 2026 and in CCTV footage, counting staff were seen concealing wads of cash.
Eight accused have been arrested in the case.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has received over 1,000 applications from across the country for the post of its first-ever CEO, sources said on Friday.
A key meeting of the search committee is scheduled for July 19, where the scrutiny process and interview schedule will be finalised. Following the initial screening, eligible candidates will be called for personal interviews. If required, the committee may also conduct online interviews.
The search committee is expected to submit its progress report at the Trust’s meeting on July 22. (ANI)
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