Maharashtra Congress launches statewide protest over Ram Temple donation scandal

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal announced that the party will begin a statewide protest on Tuesday, July 7, at the historic Kalaram Temple in Nashik. The demonstration targets the BJP and the RSS, which the Congress alleges have misappropriated cash, gold and silver jewellery donated by devotees to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir.

The protest will be followed by a “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” satyagraha from July 9‑14, organised in every district at local Ram, Shiva or Hanuman temples. Sapkal called for strict punishment for those he said stole the donations and urged prayers for “sanity and good sense” for the alleged perpetrators.

The Congress move comes a day after Shiv Sena (UBT) launched its own statewide “Ram Raksha Andolan” on July 5, led by Uddhav Thackeray, demanding the dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and accusing the ruling party of embezzling valuable gold ornaments, a gold‑lined Ramcharitmanas and a gold mangalsutra offered to Mother Sita.