Independent MP Pappu Yadav and other Opposition leaders staged a symbolic protest in the Parliament complex on Friday, enacting an alleged “theft” of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi joined the protest, which also targeted the police action against student demonstrators during their July 20 march to Parliament.
The INDIA bloc MPs demanded Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation and questioned his absence from Parliament proceedings.
The lawmakers staged the demonstration outside Makar Dwar, raising slogans including “Amit Shah istifa do”, “Amit Shah sadan mein aao” and “chadhawa chor, gaddi chorh”.
As part of the protest, donation boxes were placed near the steps of Makar Dwar, with Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron attire, sitting alongside them.
During the symbolic act, MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, placed money inside the boxes, while Yadav put some of it into his pockets to represent the Opposition’s allegations of donation theft at the Ram Temple.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party MPs Awadhesh Prasad and Dharmendra Yadav, and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Maji were among those who participated in the protest. They stood behind a banner that read: “Amit Shah Sadan Se Gayab Kyun?”
The INDIA bloc has said it plans to raise issues including alleged irregularities involving temple donations and the use of “brutal force” against students during protests over the NEET paper leak.
(With inputs from PTI)