Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday slammed the BJP government, alleging that the party had "looted" both the country and Lord Ram as the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case snowballs into a major political controversy.

The Independent MP described the Modi government's "achche din" slogan as a "lie" and said, "Defeat this Government, Ram ko loota, Desh ko loota, Achhe Din ka nara jhootha", in a post on X.

"Aise shasan ko tordein ge; Mil ke Desh ko jordein ge; Na dilon ka ho ga batwara; Sab ka Desh hai Desh hamara," he added.

The Opposition has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and demanded stringent punishment for those responsible.

The Congress sought answers from the government over the alleged irregularities, arguing that the issue is not merely a financial "scandal" but a "betrayal of faith", as the Ram temple construction was projected by the BJP as a national movement for which people across the country had donated.

On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations received at the temple.

The SIT has so far arrested eight people -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav -- all of whom were involved in counting cash and valuables received as donations at the temple.

All eight accused were on Monday remanded to 14 days' judicial custody by a local court in Ayodhya.

Special Prosecution Officer Umesh Dubey said the accused were produced before Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) Rajat Verma through video conferencing after completion of their earlier remand period. Police did not seek their custody, he added.

The eight had earlier been sent to three days' judicial custody by a special remand magistrate.

BJP defends temple Trust, backs legal action

Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh accused Opposition leaders of targeting people who had dedicated their lives to society and the nation despite, according to him, having made no contribution to the Ram temple movement.

"These are the people who do not believe in Lord Ram. Some among them do not even accept his existence. They have never gone for Lord Ram's darshan. Have those criticising ever visited the Ram Temple? Have they made any contribution to its construction?" he said in Ballia district.

Targeting Opposition leaders, Singh alleged that they were levelling charges against people who had sacrificed personal lives for national service.

"They live only for their families, whereas people they are pointing fingers at gave up family life to serve the nation. They were in forests and endured hardships. There is a world of difference between the two. Mistakes do happen, and the guilty are being identified," the minister said.

Singh also stressed that an inquiry into the alleged irregularities was underway and action was being taken against those responsible.

Hitting back at the Opposition, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that opposition parties, driven by "appeasement politics", had repeatedly stood with the accused for "vote-bank gains".

"The Samajwadi Party backed those accused in the Ayodhya and Varanasi blast cases. Lawyers like Kapil Sibal have also represented accused in high-profile matters such as the CAA and Delhi riots cases," he claimed.

The BJP claimed that those accused in the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case were facing not only legal action but also social boycott, citing a resolution passed by the Faizabad Bar Association.

The association has resolved that none of its members would represent the eight accused arrested in the case and warned that any lawyer violating the decision would face a penalty of Rs 5 lakh.

Calling it a "powerful message from Hindu society", Bhandari said those accused of looting temple donations were facing both the force of law and social ostracism.

BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said the party understood the "sentiments and anguish" behind the Faizabad Bar Association's decision, but maintained that the matter would ultimately be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

"Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has made it very clear that the guilty will not be spared. Exemplary punishment will be meted out, and speedy justice will be ensured," Sinha said.

Champat Rai gave up career for RSS, Ram temple movement: Brother

Sunil Bansal, brother of former Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, on Monday defended him against the allegations.

Speaking to PTI, Bansal said Rai had sacrificed both his personal life and career for the RSS, the Ram temple movement and the nation.

Speaking to PTI, Sunil Bansal said Rai worked as a teacher in Rohtak during 1970-71 before becoming a physics lecturer at RSM Degree College in Dhampur in 1972.

According to Bansal, police attempted to arrest Rai during the Emergency while he was teaching, following which he surrendered at the local police station.

Rai quit his teaching job in 1980-81 to devote himself full-time to the RSS, Bansal said, asserting that his brother had given up "everything" for the organisation, the Ram temple movement and the country.

Bansal also dismissed the allegations against Rai as politically motivated.