Chanda Chori

By Poonam I Kaushish

Circa 22 January 2024: Prime Minister Modi establishes centrality of religion in politics as he lead the Ram temple’s consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, making it a defining moment of his political leadership.

Circa 7 June 2026: Embezzlement of cash, gold and silver offerings comes to light.

UP Government quickly constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe theft. Two Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust members quit, CEO search is on marking beginning of a public process of accountability.

Yet, the symbolism of ‘chanda chori’ matters more than the amount. Politically, it undermines BJP’s Ram temple narrative of moral and cultural renewal. As bhakts and opponents ask: If money dedicated to Lord Ram is not safe, what does that say about governance?

Undeniably, Ram temple has been one of BJP’s most emotionally resonant achievements, a poignant centerpiece of its ideological movement and political symbolism. Consequently, allegations of ‘chanda chori’ carry political weight far beyond financial loss and could become BJP’s most damaging symbolic issue in UP elections early next year.

As, it targets the moral credibility of the Party’s signature ideological success and threatens to escalate into an issue which unless diffused could have a bearing on not only State polls early 2027 but also decide outcome of 2029 general elections given UP sends 80 MPs.

Having won two consecutive Lok Sabha polls 2014, 2019 followed by a slump 2024, UP could well decide the contours of post-Modi leadership and potential successor as 8 Prime Ministers of 14 are from here. If UP slips other States may follow.

Politically, Opposition has decided to make this a central campaign issue. Congress, SP and BSP are using ‘chanda chori’ to turn BJP’s strongest ideological achievement into a liability before UP election. Said a SP leader, “If it claim Ram temple ownership it cannot distance itself from controversies when problems arise.”

True, ‘chanda chori’ has struck a chord among Hindu voters and is gaining traction in political discourse but whether it will change voting intentions is early to say. For that Opposition effectiveness matters. A scandal hurts only if Opposition can sustain it, connect it to a wider narrative of governance failures and persuade voters it reflects a broader pattern rather than an isolated incident.

If Opposition clubs it with unemployment, paper leaks, inflation and anti-incumbency, the cumulative effect could be significant as the political importance lies less in the theft to “BJP cannot be trusted on Ram temple.”

Already SP’s Akhilesh has made ‘chanda chori’ centerpiece of his election campaign “You built the temple, but stole devotees’ offerings, return them forthwith.” A difficult charge for BJP to dismiss as it shifts the debate from religion to integrity.  It gives SP an opening to appeal to Hindu voters as earlier attacking Ram temple risked alienating them. By focusing on corruption instead of opposing the temple, Akhilesh avoids appearing anti-Hindu while putting BJP on the defensive.

Alongside he is busy expanding his PDA —- Pichada, Dalits, Alpsankhayak politics which netted him 37 seats and brought BJP tally from 60 to 33. His Brahmin conclave recently was to expand SP’s electoral acceptability amongst upper castes as the continuing Rajput domination lead by  Chief Minister Yogi, caste census, UGC norms favouring backwards and ‘chanda chori’ have made Brahmins and upper castes unhappy.

BJP argues, temple trust is a separate legal entity, criminal acts by individuals don’t implicate Party and investigations should determine responsibility on evidence rather than political association. Adding, culprits have been arrested, changes made in the temple trust’s leadership and Opposition is exploiting chori politically thereby tarnishing a sacred project.

Yet, this is BJP’s most uncomfortable controversy since the temple’s inauguration as it concerns its integrity which supporters regard as sacred. If the Opposition succeeds in framing it as “theft from Lord Ram” it becomes potent politically.

Hence, the political challenge for BJP is one of consistency. When it embraced the temple as a signature ideological achievement of its Ram Janmabhommi Movement and Government, it cannot credibly treat the temple as only a trust’s problem as it has repeatedly sought electoral credit for fulfilling the Ram Mandir promise. Though, for BJP it does not create legal responsibility, it has political responsibility wherein it can neither avoid political scrutiny nor theft criticism.

Additionally, if it becomes a poll issue, it is unlikely to have a major impact as the Ram temple remains a net political asset for BJP. For many Hindus, temple’s construction fulfilled a decades-old promise. A theft allegation is unlikely, by itself, to outweigh the emotional connection and probably have a limited electoral impact.

Will it damage BJP? Probably, not by itself as voting behaviour is driven by a mix of leadership, welfare schemes, caste dynamics, regional factors, economic conditions, jobs, law and order, local candidates and Yogi and Modi’s popularity. A single controversy, unless it becomes part of a larger narrative in public mind resulting in substantial electoral losses will depend on whether voters come to see it as an isolated criminal episode or evidence of deeper institutional failure and inadequate accountability.

However, it could weaken BJP’s claim to moral stewardship if the theft evolves into something much larger and evidence emerges of systemic financial irregularities, involvement of senior functionaries or attempts to suppress investigation. That would transform it from a criminal case into a political integrity issue along-with declining accountability and power arrogance. True, it could contribute to anti-incumbency, but is unlikely to be the principal factor determining elections.

Undoubtedly, BJP faces political susceptibility in perception as it has built its political identity around discipline, integrity, and cultural nationalism. Because of that, standards voters apply to the Ram temple are high. The key issue? Ram temple is one area where BJP has the least room for error as it’s the emotional centerpiece of its political identity.

BJP’s greatest vulnerability is hypocrisy, not corruption. Voters tolerate corruption across Parties but punish the perception leaders fail to live up to standards they preach. BJP has consistently portrayed itself as cleaner than rivals, culturally rooted, morally superior, protector of Hindu interests. If wrongdoing is seen as being covered up, people get disillusioned that it is no different from others.

Ultimately, ‘chanda chori’ might not lead to an electoral shift of votes on its own. But if it contributes to a broader narrative that institutions associated with BJP are becoming less transparent and less accountable, it could gradually erode one of the Party’s strongest political assets: Perception that it governs differently from its predecessors.

It remains to be seen which way the cookie crumbles. It depends on how effectively RSS-BJP nip the controversy in the bud, undo the chanda chori campaign and control the narrative herein. A hard uphill. — INFA