New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, Mayawati, on Tuesday reacted to reports of alleged irregularities involving offerings at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, calling the matter "extremely serious and concerning” while urging a transparent and accountable system for managing temple donations. In a post on X, Mayawati said, “The theft of offerings from the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, along with embezzlement and tampering, and the various kinds of reports that keep surfacing day after day in the media about such acts, are extremely serious and concerning. People like this should absolutely not be spared, but politicising this matter is also not right.”

She further stressed the need for systemic reforms in managing temple offerings to prevent recurrence of such allegations, suggesting that best practices from other major temples across the country should be adopted. “At the same time, to ensure that no further complaints arise regarding offerings made in devotion at the temple here, it would be appropriate to promptly resolve this issue by emulating the systems in place at other renowned and famous temples across the country for maintaining accounts of offerings and the like,” she said.

Mayawati also cautioned against the criminalisation and politicisation of religion and crime, stating that political discourse should remain focussed on constitutional values and public interest. “Not only that, but it would be right and constitutional for political parties like the BSP to advise, in the interest of the nation and the people, that the criminalization of politics, the politicization of crime, the politicization of religion, and the blind religiosity of politics should not be allowed in the country—and this is also an appeal to fellow citizens.”

Her remarks come amid an ongoing police investigation into embezzlement of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, where multiple individuals have been arrested and financial records are being scrutinised as part of the probe. Police have also issued notices to around six banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank, seeking details of the bank accounts and lockers of the arrested accused, the Trust, and others linked to the case. Officials said that 70 to 80 people are under the scanner, and notices are being issued to them in phases. Their statements will also be recorded.

--IANS