THANE: The Congress party launched a scathing attack on the BJP, questioning its silence over the alleged financial irregularities in the donations for the Ayodhya Ram Temple. Accusing the BJP of consistently using the Ram Temple for political mileage, the Congress demanded transparency and immediate action against those involved in the alleged scam.
​As part of the statewide ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ Satyagraha, the Thane City District Congress Committee staged a massive peaceful protest on Friday at the historic Kaupineshwar Temple premises in Thane.

The agitation was organized following the directives of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal and was led by Thane City District Congress Committee President Rahul Pingle.

Early in the morning, hundreds of party office-bearers and workers gathered at the Ram Temple within the Kaupineshwar estate. Dressed in white caps, the protestors held a peaceful satyagraha, staging a collective recital of devotional hymns, including ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’, ‘Khara To Ekchi Dharma’, and ‘Pasayadan’.

Protestors raised slogans and carried placards reading “Attack on the faith of devotees… Looting of Ram’s donation box” and “Chanting Ram’s name while pocketing others’ wealth.” The party leaders questioned why those who exploit Lord Ram’s name for political gains have chosen to maintain a stony silence over the alleged donation malpractice.

Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Pingle demanded that those playing politics over religion and Lord Ram must accept moral responsibility for the alleged scam. He called for an immediate, impartial inquiry into the financial irregularities and strict legal action against the culprits. The protest concluded peacefully.

Key Leaders and Attendees:

Along with Thane Congress President Rahul Pingle, the protest saw the participation of state office-bearers and leaders including Gajanan Desai, Madhu Mohite, Vishwas Utagi, Rajesh Jadhav, Sheetal Aher, Milind Kharade, Seva Dal President Ravi Koli, and Umesh Kamble.

Representatives from various social organizations and block presidents also joined the agitation, including Dr. Sanjay Mango, Vandana Shinde, Jagdish Khairalia, Milan Utturkar, Rajendra Chavan, Satish Jadhav, Anand Sangle, Raju Shetty, Anjani Singh, Sangeeta Kotal, Shanti Ilavadekar, Harshad Thakur, Ajinky Bhoir, Pravin Khairalia, Suresh Bhoir, Marshal Panhalkar, Swapnil Koli, Vishwanath Kirkire, Darmiyan Singh Bisht, Dayanand Egde, Ram Bhosale, Suresh Khede Patil, Ravindra Angre, Ramesh Patil, Nandkumar Gavaskar, Babu Yadav, Ashok Nalawala, Meena Kamble, Supriya Patil, Rajni Pandey, Munna Rajoria, Manoj Dubey, Chandrakant Patil, Swapnil Bhoir, Rajesh Mishra, Pappu Singh, Lokesh Gholap, Shirish Gharat, Prasad Patil, Rakesh Purnekar, Sonia Punjabi, Akinder Tamata, and Kaustubh Gadgil, alongside a large number of party workers.