Legal trouble intensified for Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav and several opposition leaders on Saturday after multiple police complaints and an FIR were filed over a skit staged in the Parliament complex that targeted the Centre over alleged Ram Temple donation irregularities.
The controversy stems from a protest held on July 31 in which opposition MPs enacted a symbolic skit. Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron robes as a temple priest, was shown collecting donations before allegedly pocketing the money, while fellow MPs acted as devotees and raised slogans against the government.
The performance drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the opposition of insulting Sanatan Dharma and hurting religious sentiments.
An FIR was registered in Varanasi following a complaint by Mahant Balak Nath, while separate police complaints were filed in New Delhi by BJP leaders, including MP Bansuri Swaraj and party MLAs. Another complaint was lodged against Pappu Yadav at Delhi's Jahangirpuri police station.
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Varanasi Deputy Commissioner of Police Gaurav Banswal confirmed that legal proceedings had been initiated based on allegations that the skit insulted Sanatan Dharma and the attire of Hindu saints.
The complainants demanded strict legal action against Rahul Gandhi, Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Prasad and others, with some also seeking their resignation from Parliament.
BJP leaders, including Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, condemned the protest, alleging it mocked saints and saffron-clad religious figures.
The opposition, however, has maintained that the skit was intended to highlight alleged corruption linked to Ram Temple donations and press for accountability from the Centre.
Photo caption: Opposition MPs stage a symbolic protest inside the Parliament complex on July 31, with Pappu Yadav dressed as a temple priest during a skit over alleged Ram Temple donation irregularities.
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