Independent MP Pappu Yadav, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad face an FIR for allegedly 'hurting religious sentiments' after a skit staged at the Parliament complex on Sunday, 2 August depicted the alleged embezzlement of donations at Ayodhya's Ram Temple. The act has triggered a sharp political clash, with NDA leaders demanding accountability and INDIA bloc MPs defending the performance as a legitimate protest over donation theft allegations.

NDA's Condemnation

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya described the skit as 'cheap, disgusting and criminal,' alleging that Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, and MP Dimple Yadav, among others, had extended support to the act. 'They worked to insult Hindus, saints and the devotees of Lord Ram. I condemn it in the strongest possible words. Action should be taken against these people,' Maurya said.

JD-U leader Shyam Rajak declared that Parliament is not a stage. 'Behaving like this in Parliament is an insult to it,' he said. BJP MP Karan Bhushan Singh called the act an insult to Sanatan Dharma and warned the Opposition not to 'play with people's religious sentiments, otherwise, when the country responds, you will have to face the consequences.'

Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi said: 'The way they mocked Sanatan and Hindu culture and also the way seers and saints were made fun of, it will not be tolerated by people of the country.' JD-U MLC Neeraj Kumar Singh questioned whether the Congress was 'wandering away from the Constitution's Preamble.'

Opposition Defends the Skit

Congress MP Tariq Anwar backed Pappu Yadav, arguing that the skit was simply an attempt to draw public attention to a genuine concern. 'What Pappu Yadav did was merely a way to draw people's attention. There was no ulterior motive behind it,' Anwar said. He added: 'The kind of theft that has taken place at the Ram Temple, the way offerings made by devotees have been looted — naturally, people are raising this issue in their own ways.'

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar questioned whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held any exclusive claim over saffron, noting that the Tricolour also features the colour. 'It was the RSS that never hoisted the Tricolour. They never accepted the country's Independence. Who has given these new claimants a patent?' he told reporters.

Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai turned the question back on the NDA: 'If his act is being called an insult to Sanatan, then what about the theft of donations at the Ram Temple, the land grabbing, and those who are doing business in the name of the Ram Temple? Does that honour Sanatan?'

The FIR and Its Scope

The FIR names Pappu Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, and Awadhesh Prasad on charges of hurting religious sentiments. The complaint follows the skit performed within the Parliament complex, which critics say crossed the line from political expression to deliberate provocation. The Opposition, however, contends that the FIR is an attempt to suppress scrutiny of alleged financial irregularities at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

What Comes Next

The episode is likely to spill into parliamentary proceedings, with both sides hardening their positions ahead of the ongoing session. The broader controversy over alleged donation mismanagement at the Ram Temple trust remains unresolved, and opposition leaders have signalled they intend to keep pressing the issue through formal channels.