Uddhav Thackeray escalated his attack on the BJP over the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation controversy, warning in Mumbai on Sunday that ‘If anyone loots a temple by misusing Hindutva, then Hindus will not spare them.’ The remarks, delivered at a high-energy protest, sharpen the fight over who defines Hindutva in Maharashtra.
Hindutva turf war returns to centre stage
The former chief minister used the rally to reclaim his party’s ideological legacy, arguing the BJP-led Centre is ‘looting Hindus.’ He invoked Bal Thackeray’s slogan ‘Garv Se Kaho Hum Hindu Hain’ to signal continuity with the Sena founder’s rhetoric, even as the party remains split since 2022.
After Eknath Shinde toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and became chief minister with BJP support, the Election Commission recognised his faction as the official Shiv Sena in 2023. Thackeray has rejected claims that his camp abandoned Hindutva, saying the Sena left the BJP, not its ideology.
Ayodhya donation probe sets the context
The political flashpoint is rooted in allegations of theft from donation boxes at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT to investigate the matter.
Police registered an FIR on June 25 on a complaint by the trust. Eight men were subsequently arrested. Separately, police in UP have made arrests and the temple trust general secretary, Champat Rai, has quit his position.
Key investigative steps
Here is what authorities have done so far:
– The UP government set up an SIT
– An FIR was filed on June 25
– Police arrested eight accused
Those arrested include Subhash Srivastav, Manish Kumar Yadav, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Lavkush Mishra.
What Uddhav said at the Mumbai protest
Thackeray’s remarks came at a 'Ram Raksha Andolan‘ mobilisation outside the Hanuman temple in Dadar, where he led recitations and addressed hundreds of workers. Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray were present, underscoring the Sena (UBT) effort to turn a donation scandal into a wider ideological contest.
He alleged: ‘It is unfortunate that those looting Hindus are in power.’ Citing the BJP’s line that ‘Ayodhya was a trailer, and Kashi and Mathura are yet to come,’ he added he was ‘worried about the loot there.’ He also said, ‘We are fierce, innocent, nation-loving Hindus, but not fools.’
Thackeray claimed a civil services officer had donated more than one kilogram of gold for a gold-plated Ram Charit Manas and is now questioning how that gold was used. He framed the agitation as a moral pushback: ‘Ram bhakts will burn the golden Lanka of Ravan. We will burn the Lanka of injustice.’
BJP’s position and what to watch
The BJP has rejected allegations of any organised financial irregularities linked to the temple. That rebuttal, set against arrests and the SIT probe, has created a charged arena where symbolism and accountability collide ahead of broader political battles.
Thackeray said similar ‘Ram Raksha Andolan’ events would roll out across Maharashtra. Before Sunday’s rally, Sanjay Raut indicated the agitation could expand beyond the state. With Hindutva identity and temple donations now intertwined, both camps face pressure to prove credibility and control the narrative.
