SP protests alleged Ram temple donation theft, UP Assembly adjourned after passing 11 bills

Lucknow: Allegations surrounding the sanctity of donations made at the Ram temple in Ayodhya sparked uproar in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday, bringing Question Hour to an abrupt halt and forcing the House to adjourn till 12.20 pm.

The disruption began soon after proceedings commenced at 11 am, when Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey sought an immediate discussion on the alleged theft of donations collected for the Ram temple.

Calling it an issue linked to public faith, Pandey pressed for the matter to be taken up in the House.

However, Speaker Satish Mahana declined the request, following which Samajwadi Party (SP) legislators trooped into the Well of the House and raised slogans against the BJP government.

As the protests intensified, Mahana hit back at the Opposition, asking the protesting members to produce receipts if they had personally contributed money towards the construction of the Ram temple.

Joining the government's counterattack, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna accused the Samajwadi Party of attempting to politicise an issue of faith.

Referring to the firing on karsevaks during the SP regime, Khanna asserted that the party had no connection with the religious sentiments of the people.

With the din refusing to subside, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly till 12.20 pm, cutting short the Question Hour.

Despite the disruption, legislative business continued as the Assembly passed 11 bills through voice vote. Among them was the Uttar Pradesh Public Services Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which increases the retirement age of the tribunal's chairman from 65 to 67 years, while raising the retirement age of vice-chairpersons and members from 62 to 65 years.

The House also approved amendments to the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, granting land ownership rights to displaced families who settled in the state after the Partition and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.