Tensions simmered outside Sonia Gandhi’s official residence in New Delhi on Friday, where BJYM’s Kerala wing unleashed a protest against the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple gold embezzlement scandal. Former minister Anurag Thakur spearheaded the action, joined by hundreds including Rohit Chahal and Manu Prasad, amplifying calls for a thorough CBI inquiry.
The activists criticized Congress’s deafening silence, viewing it as complicity in undermining one of Hinduism’s most sacred pilgrimage sites. Chants of ‘No Mercy for Faith Thieves’ reverberated, as Thakur declared the temple’s assets as inviolable symbols of collective faith and heritage.
In his address, Thakur labeled the theft not just administrative failure but a direct assault on devotees’ sentiments. He spotlighted unverified claims of stolen gold being funneled as presents to Sonia Gandhi, intensifying the political heat. ‘People want the truth: culprits identified, probe updates, and justice served,’ he asserted.
Manu Prasad positioned the agitation as a broader fight for transparency and governance, warning against any cover-up. Thakur slammed Congress for historical plunder extending to temples, eroding Hindu trust. Demands included CBI autonomy, guilty verdicts, and perpetual safeguards for temple wealth.
With BJP pledging relentless pursuit, Prasad hinted at pan-India mobilizations if delays persist. This confrontation lays bare fault lines in Kerala’s temple politics, blending devotion with electoral strategies ahead of key battles.