Opposition MPs Express Resentment in Parliament Over Ayodhya Donation Theft Issue, Police Action Against Students

New Delhi: Members of the Opposition's INDIA bloc staged a protest in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday over allegations of theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and what they described as excessive police action against students during recent demonstrations. The protest took place near the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament, where Opposition MPs carried placards and raised slogans targeting the government. Among the slogans raised were "Chhanda Chor, Gaddi Chor" and "Amit Shah Jawaab Do," demanding a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In a symbolic gesture, the MPs placed donation boxes at the protest site to highlight the alleged theft of offerings made at the Ram temple. Some lawmakers also deposited cash into the boxes, claiming it represented donations made by devotees and the alleged misappropriation that followed. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the demonstration along with Samajwadi Party MPs Dimple Yadav and Dharmendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose, Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders Manoj Jha and Sanjay Yadav, and Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran, among others. The protesting MPs stood behind a large banner reading, "Why Amit Shah Absent from Parliament," while continuing to demand answers from the government over the two issues. Earlier in the day, floor leaders of INDIA bloc parties met in the Parliament chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise their strategy for the day's proceedings. According to Opposition leaders, the alliance plans to continue pressing the government over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and what it termed "police excesses" against students during protests held last week. The government had not immediately responded to the Opposition's protest or the allegations raised during the demonstration.