Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu Yadav) and other Opposition MPs protest at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament over the issue of alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations embezzlement, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, in New Delhi on Friday
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RAHUL SINGH/ANI
Parliament has seen slogan-shouting, placards and walkouts. On Friday, it got a street play.Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan, better known as Pappu Yadav, arrived at Parliament dressed as a saffron-clad sadhu, complete with a flowing robe, headgear, garland and banners decrying “chanda chori (donation loot)”. The costume earned him a rebuke inside the Lok Sabha, where Speaker Om Birla cautioned members against wearing attire that undermines the dignity and decorum of the House.But the real performance was reserved for the courtyard outside.Seated cross-legged beside a steel donation box, Pappu Yadav transformed the Parliament complex into an impromptu theatre stage. Around him, Opposition MPs raised slogans of “Chanda chor kahan milenge, BJP ke daftar me” (Where will you find donation thieves? At the BJP office), taking aim at the alleged irregularities in donations linked to the Ayodhya temple in which some senior leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are allegedly involved.The audience included Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. At one point, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad, who represents Faizabad, nudged Rahul Gandhi towards the makeshift dan-patra. Rahul obliged, smiling as he dropped money into the box.VIDEO | A saffron-clad Independent MP Pappu Yadav along with other Opposition MPs enacted "theft" of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Parliament complex on Friday.The MPs kept donation boxes in front of the Makar Dwar steps and Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, known as… pic.twitter.com/rEmDFRQveF— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 31, 2026That was the cue for the final act.Clutching the donation box, Pappu Yadav suddenly made a theatrical dash, only to be chased down and mock-thrashed by Samajwadi Party MPs amid a fresh chorus of “Chanda chor kahan milenge...”. The laughter among Opposition benches suggested the script had landed.The skit was more than comic relief in an otherwise tense Monsoon Session. For the Samajwadi Party, the alleged Ayodhya temple donation scam is emerging as a key political plank ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. With Awadhesh Prasad, the MP from Faizabad, cast in a starring role, the performance sought to carry that campaign from the temple town to the nation’s highest legislature.For a few minutes, Parliament’s high-vaulted corridors gave way to political theatre, complete with props, punchlines and a carefully rehearsed message.Published on July 31, 2026
