Opposed Ram Temple construction, now doing politics: Kangana Ranaut slams Congress

Published 8 July 2026 · politics

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday accused the Congress of trying to gain political mileage from the Ram temple donation issue, saying the party had

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday accused the Congress of trying to gain political mileage from the Ram temple donation issue, saying the party had opposed the construction of the temple in Ayodhya for years. In a statement, the Mandi MP said people in Himachal Pradesh and across the country were fully aware of the Congress' "double standards". Her remarks came a day after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said alleged irregularities in donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya amounted to not only theft of money but also theft of the faith of millions of people. Read Full Story State PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh had also said on Tuesday that the BJP would have "set the whole country ablaze" if such an issue had taken place under a Congress government.

Lashing out at the Congress, Ranaut said, "The Congress party opposed the construction of the Ram Temple for years and now the same party is trying to derive political mileage from the issue." She said Lord Ram is the embodiment of faith for millions of Indians and that the construction of the Ram temple became possible only after centuries of struggle, sacrifice and devotion. Ranaut also alleged that the Himachal Pradesh government had tried to use temple funds for government schemes and sought to assert control over the resources of temples and religious institutions, but was now speaking about the Ram temple. She said the BJP had always remained committed to protecting Sanatan culture, faith and India's civilisational heritage, and had never treated faith as a tool for vote-bank politics but had respected it as an integral part of the country's cultural identity.

She said people had now understood the Congress' politics and its true character, and added that the people of Himachal Pradesh wanted development, good governance and public welfare, not attempts to exploit religious sentiments for political purposes. Instead of politicising a sacred issue like the Ram temple, the Congress government should answer for its failures and fulfil the promises it made to the people, she said. The Uttar Pradesh SIT has arrested eight accused in connection with the alleged embezzlement of cash offerings at the Ram temple. Amid mounting scrutiny, the Trust on Monday accepted the resignations of its general secretary Champat Rai and member Anil Mishra, and appointed Krishna Mohan as interim general secretary at a Trust meeting.