Nripendra Mishra's shifting defences on Ram temple row: Genuine or managed?

A political storm has engulfed Ayodhya's Ram Temple over allegations of massive financial irregularities in donated funds. Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Construction Committee and former principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now finds himself at the centre of it — and his shifting responses are only deepening the controversy.

When reporters first pressed him on the donation allegations, Mishra tried to draw a firm line: "My responsibility is only to monitor the construction work," he said. "I only look at construction and nothing else." But the storm was already too big to sidestep with one sentence.

Allegations rock Ram Temple

The controversy took shape in early June when Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav alleged that several crores of rupees donated to the temple remained unaccounted for, calling the situation "shameful" and demanding that the courts intervene.

Also read: Ram Temple row: 'Nripendra Mishra passing the buck' | Capital Beat

The Congress, another opposition party in the state, went further, alleging irregularities worth Rs 1,400 crore in donations collected even before construction had begun. The party's Uttar Pradesh president, Ajay Rai, was direct in his criticism: "You came to power making grand promises in the name of Lord Ram, saying you would build the temple. But first, they stole donation money. More than Rs 200 crore in donations was allegedly misappropriated. A piece of land worth Rs 2 crore was sold for Rs 18 crore just minutes later. Why did Prime Minister Modi not take cognisance of that?"

Rai added that the party plans to take the issue to the public: "Absolutely, we will raise it. We will tell every citizen about it."

The CCTV twist

Things took a sharper turn when media reports revealed a troubling detail: CCTV footage from the temple's cash-counting areas, covering several months, had allegedly been deleted. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe reportedly found that nearly eight months of footage from the counting room had been wiped clean — a development that deepened suspicions of a cover-up.

Reports also emerged that police had recovered Rs 10 lakh in cash from the home of a temple employee, though authorities have yet to officially link the money to the missing donations.

Facing mounting pressure, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member SIT on June 13 and set a strict 15-day deadline for it to submit its findings.

Mishra shifts his stance

That is when Mishra's "only construction" defence began to unravel. As scrutiny intensified, he admitted that the row had exposed real weaknesses in supervision and accountability at the trust. He pointed out that operations are still largely run by volunteers, with no formal roles in place.

Also read: Ayodhya Ram temple multi-crore donation scam: What we know so far

He also publicly defended Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which was formed for the temple's construction, stating that 35 years of loyalty to the temple movement cannot be questioned and that the real failure lies in monitoring, not in intent.

The shift raises an uncomfortable question: is this a genuine acknowledgement of systemic failure — or is Mishra trying to shield someone while the SIT does the work?

Yogi enters the fray

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath eventually broke his silence in Ayodhya, urging the public to wait 15 more days (he said people had waited for 500 years to reclaim the Ram Janmabhoomi) and assuring them that the guilty — no matter who they are — will not be spared. He then went on the offensive, accusing the Samajwadi Party and Congress of double standards and of even questioning Lord Ram's existence.

"Samajwadi Party — look at their hypocrisy," Yogi said. "Those who ordered firing on Ram Bhakts and had the police lathi-charge people for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' are now trying to portray themselves as Ram Bhakts. The SIT investigation will reveal the truth."

Also read: BJP, Akhilesh clash over Ram Mandir donation row as SIT probe continues

Adding to the intrigue, media reports noted that Rai was conspicuously absent from Yogi's official Ayodhya event. Sources said the chief minister's office had directed that he be not invited — a pointed signal, even if no official explanation was offered.

Uttar Pradesh heads to elections in early next year.

The bigger question

As Ayodhya counts down Yogi's 15-day clock, the real question has moved beyond where the money went. The man who oversaw the temple's construction has himself admitted that the system was never built to be accountable. So is the SIT probe the start of genuine reckoning — or the beginning of a carefully managed clean-up?

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