On Sunday, the AAP leader ratcheted up the controversy over the Ram Temple fraud. His take: the probe is after the little guys while the heavyweights are left alone. With Rs 80 lakh in the bank against an alleged Rs 200 crore heist, he sees the detentions for what they are – a smokescreen. You have to ask where the diligence is.
Kejriwal’s allegation and unanswered questions
In Amritsar with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, the former Delhi chief made his case. Only the help at the bottom of the ladder have been cuffed so far, he said. The eight in the Ayodhya case? They’re your typical cash counter or a watchman.
The real trouble, Kejriwal says, is with the bigger names who are still out and about. He wants a look-see into who is on the other end of the money and for the unaccounted funds to be put back where they belong.
It comes down to how you go about it. In his telling, some steps were cut. Investigators didn’t even go for remand, which means the money trail was never really put to the test.
These are the holes in the police work, according to him:
– The true scale of the theft
Who was on the receiving end of the cash
Where it was stashed or off to
The reason for not asking for custodial remand
Arrests without remand raise scrutiny
Kejriwal points out that the accused were handed over to judicial custody, with no time in the hands of the police. No real grilling, he says, and you can bet they’ll be out on bail in no time.
'A cover-up‘ is how he puts it. This is bigger than a few arrests let on. What we need is an open book to see just how deep the embezzlement goes.
Recovery mismatch fuels suspicion
Then there’s the numbers. Kejriwal won’t let the discrepancy go. You have an Rs 200 crore claim and a meagre Rs 80 lakh in recovery from the eight they have.
“So where is the rest?” is his question. He is on to the investigators to make it public. If you don’t follow the balance, the whole thing looks like you’re picking and choosing.
Press meet setting and parallel developments in Punjab
All of this came out at a presser in Amritsar, with Bhagwant Mann by his side. Kejriwal was on the case of the Ayodhya donations, but Mann had his eyes on what was happening in Punjab.
Mann put it plainly: come 29 June 2026, every Sikh MLA and cabinet minister will be in front of the Akal Takht to make their case on the anti-sacrilege law. He also made some time for a video row that has been making the rounds, but made sure to note that there are other state matters being seen to as well.
You could see the two sides of the AAP’s current predicament in that: a national firestorm over a religious institution on one hand, and some delicate legal and religious business in Punjab on the other.
Temple project in the works in Amritsar
During the same session, Kejriwal let it be known that the state has given its in-principle nod to a new, large-scale temple for Luv-Kush and Mata Janaki in Amritsar, in the vicinity of the Bhagwan Valmiki Temple. A full plan is to follow.
It’s a move with both civic and cultural heft, and when you put it next to his jabs at the Ayodhya inquiry, you can see how much of a role religious heritage is playing in the state’s agenda these days.
Why they’re building in Amritsar
Kejriwal was quick to point out the city’s standing in the Ramayana. “This is where Luv-Kush were born,” he said, and where they put an end to the Ashwamedha horse of Bhagwan Ram.
Then there is the Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, where, as he put it, Valmiki composed the epic and Sita made her home in the ashram while the boys were put through their paces. The city is home to the Durgiana Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Sri Darbar Sahib as well.
The new temple for Luv-Kush and Mata Janaki will go up right by the existing Tirath Sthal. It’s a spot of no small significance, he added, for the Valmiki community and Hindus in general.
What the probe is about
With his comments, Kejriwal has put the Ayodhya matter back in the spotlight. When you have only minor players in custody and no remand, you start to wonder about the process, and the onus is on the authorities to explain.
For those who have put in money or are otherwise involved, it comes down to hard facts: who was in charge of the funds, where did things go wrong, and when will we see our losses made good? As long as there is a gap between what is being claimed and what is being put back, the noise will only get louder.
All in all, the week has been a mix of politics and culture for the Punjab government. With the Akal Takht visit coming up, they are having to deal with institutional and spiritual duties in equal measure.
Where this goes from here will be in the details. If the ‘cover-up’ talk is to be put to rest, we’ll need to see some open-book custodial questioning, a paper trail, and maybe some higher-ups if the evidence is there. And in Punjab, we’ll be watching to see if the temple plans materialise as promised.
