The Bharatiya Janata Party’s relationship with Ayodhya — the site of the Ram temple — has been interesting. Symbolically, Ayodhya has been the BJP’s guiding star, politically and ideologically. The consecration of the shrine two years ago was emblematic of a long, successful journey for the BJP and its ideological peers. Yet, Ayodhya has also, on occasion, disappointed the party. In 2024, amidst a poor electoral harvest in the general election in Uttar Pradesh, Faizabad constituency, which includes Ayodhya, eluded the BJP’s grasp. Now, with the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh on the horizon, Ayodhya has returned to haunt the BJP, once again, with allegations of financial irregularities in the donations made to the Ram temple. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, entrusted with the management of the temple, had, according to some estimates, received about Rs 3,500 crore in cash donations alone. There are now reports of theft and embezzlement of these funds and other valuables. Some temple officials have been arrested; Champat Rai and Anil Mishra, the SRJTKT’s general-secretary and senior trustee, respectively, have resigned. It must also be pointed out that even before the temple was built, eyebrows had been raised regarding dodgy land purchases that involved, whispers suggest, Trust officials.

Two issues arise out of these developments. The first concerns the matter of institutional failure. Even a report submitted by the special investigation team has confirmed lapses. Why were these breaches not reported and acted upon earlier? The mischief is an abuse of public trust and sentiment. It also strikes blows to a line that the BJP loves to parrot in the Narendra Modi era: the party’s commitment to erase corruption. The other facet concerns the dynamics within the sangh parivar that have been laid bare by the fiasco. The chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, mindful of the optics, would be keen to adopt an uncompromising position on the matter to further burnish his credentials before the polls. He has an old score to settle too: the Trust had always held Mr Adityanath at an arm’s length. But the sangh parivar may not take kindly to the chief minister’s interventions.
Mr Rai and Mr Mishra have deep roots in the sangh: does that explain their initial reluctance to resign? But the RSS may find itself in a bind: obstructing
Mr Adityanath’s supposed quest for justice could have inimical consequences for an organisation keen on maintaining its squeaky clean image. The discomfiture within the sangh parivar should lend electoral advantage to the Opposition. But the Opposition has shown, time and again, how not to take advantage of opportunities.