High drama unfolded outside Parliament on Friday as opposition MPs used street theatre to stage Ram Mandir donation ‘theft’ issue. Choosing a peculiar way to protest against the central government, Purnia MP Pappu Yadav donned the saffron robes of a temple priest as a satire to Centre's inaction.
The nukkad natak centred on Ram Mandir theme portrayed treachery of a temple priest. The protagonist Pappu Yadav was seen collecting offerings from devotees while holding a photograph of Ayodhya's Lord Ram. Seated in front of the Parliament complex with three donation boxes and marigold garlands, the Congress MP performed several acts to symbolize deceit as fellow opposition MPs played the role of devotees.
‘Chanda chor, gaddi chhod,’ opposition leaders chant slogans
All this while, other opposition leaders chanted slogans of "Chanda chor, gaddi chhod", "Jawab tumko dena hoga" and “Amit Shah, sadan mein aao!”. As these slogans echoed through the Parliament complex, the protesting leaders held a banner asking, “Why did Amit Shah skip Parliament?” Even senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was seen joining the act. He was caught on camera, stepping forward to place donations into the collection box.
To highlight the issue of Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the "priest" quietly slipped the money into his own pocket instead of the donation box. In the dramatic twist, an SP MP, acting as a devotee, confronted him over the "illegal" action. The play proceeds to show the confrontational crowd of angry "devotees" while the "priest" continues to defend his actions and deny any wrongdoing. Before making a theatrical escape, the "priest" insisted no donation had been stolen.
Demanding accountability on several issues, Congress in a post on X shared images of the street play with the caption, “Offerings Thief - Abandon the Gaddi”. The description to the post said, “Protest by opposition MPs against 'offerings theft' in the presence of Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri @kharge and Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi.”
Both Houses of Parliament — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — were adjourned for the day today following sloganeering and ruckus. As per Uttar Pradesh government's 27 July statement to the Supreme Court, a fresh Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kiran S has been constituted to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations made at Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The SIT has been asked to submit a status report within two weeks.
