Opposition MPs used street theatre to target the central government over the alleged Ram Mandir donation “theft” in Parliament complex on Friday
A police complaint has been lodged against Independent MP from Purnia, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, following his protest demonstration on Friday inside the Parliament complex over the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case.
The complaint, filed by petitioner Surya Maithil at Jahangirpuri Police Station in the national capital, accuses Yadav of hurting religious sentiments during the protest.
The demonstration was supported by several leaders of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Surya Maithil alleged that Yadav insulted religious symbols during his demonstration outside Parliament.
“Pappu Yadav insulted the saffron and the drama he staged outside Parliament was supported by Rahul Gandhi, Dimple Yadav, Awadhesh Prasad, and other MPs from the INDIA alliance. In it, Pappu Yadav even placed the picture of Lord Ram Lalla Virajman under his feet… This has hurt the sentiments of Sanatanis,” Maithil told ANI.
The Parliament complex turned into a stage in an unusual display of protest on Friday, as Opposition MPs used street theatre to target the central government over the alleged Ram Mandir donation “theft”.
As slogans of ‘Chanda chor, gaddi chhod’, ‘Jawab tumko dena hoga’ and ‘Amit Shah, sadan mein aao!’ echoed through the Parliament complex, Purnia MP Pappu Yadav emerged dressed in saffron robes, portraying a temple priest collecting offerings from devotees. He also carried a photograph of Lord Ram.
As part of a skit, the MPs, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, put money into collection boxes, while Yadav slipped money into his pockets to symbolise the alleged theft at the Ram Temple.
The symbolic performance unfolded like a nukkad natak. Fellow Opposition MPs played the role of devotees, stepping forward to place donations into a collection box. However, the “priest”, played by Pappu Yadav, quietly slipped the money into his own pocket instead of the donation box, prompting an SP MP, acting as a devotee, to confront him over the “illegal” action.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat also took a strict view regarding the methods of protest in the Parliament House complex. According to sources, the Secretariat has made it clear that costume-based protests or dramatic demonstrations will not be allowed in the Parliament premises.
It was also reported that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has expressed displeasure over the entire incident and preparations are underway to implement the existing guidelines strictly.
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said the demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to allegations that devotees who made donations were not issued receipts and that CCTV footage related to the matter had allegedly been deleted.
