New Delhi: Opposition parties intensified their attack on the Centre in Parliament on Tuesday, raising a series of contentious issues, including the alleged embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations in Ayodhya, the alleged police action on protesters during the July 20 demonstration in Delhi, and the long-running Cauvery water dispute.
Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manickam Tagore, along with RJD MP Manoj Jha, staged a protest inside the Parliament complex, demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah address the House and explain the alleged police action against demonstrators during the July 20 protest.
Adding a symbolic dimension to the protests, Samajwadi Party MPs displayed a donation box in Parliament, with party chief Akhilesh Yadav placing contributions into it. The demonstration was aimed at highlighting allegations of irregularities involving donations made by devotees to the Ram Mandir.
Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran questioned the Home Minister’s absence from Parliament and accused the government of remaining silent over the alleged donation scam. He said the Opposition wanted clarity on the government’s response to both the alleged police action and the reported misuse of temple donations.
Echoing similar concerns, Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria alleged that students protesting on July 20 were subjected to excessive police action. He also called for a parliamentary discussion on the alleged theft of Ram Mandir donations, saying the Opposition was seeking accountability rather than resignations.
Meanwhile, DMK MPs held a separate protest near Parliament’s Makar Dwar, pressing the Centre to protect Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery river water. The party urged the government to intervene in the ongoing inter-state water dispute and safeguard the state’s interests.
The coordinated protests reflected the Opposition’s strategy of targeting the government on multiple political and public interest issues as Parliament’s proceedings continued on Tuesday. (With inputs from ANI)
