Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) spokesperson Anish Gawande on Sunday, 28 June sharply criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks targeting Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, calling it a deliberate attempt to deflect public attention from alleged corruption at the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Gawande's remarks came amid mounting questions over the resignations of Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and Trust member Anil Mishra.

Gawande Questions Trust Appointments and Background Checks

Speaking to reporters, Gawande raised pointed questions about who had appointed the Trust's members and whether adequate background verification was ever conducted. 'Kilos of silver, crores of cash, among other things, have been stolen. On one hand, it is said that the Trust is independent, while on the other, you say that the government has now put pressure on it. So, is the government running the trust or is it functioning on its own?' he asked.

Gawande pressed further: 'Were background checks conducted on the members? You may arrest Champat Rai, but what about the person who appointed him?' The remarks squarely directed accountability toward CM Adityanath, under whose watch, critics argue, the Trust's operations were supervised.

The 'Firing' Remark That Triggered the Rebuke

Earlier on Sunday, CM Adityanath had accused Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party of historically opposing Hindu religious traditions, a day after Yadav pledged to develop Ayodhya into a 'peerless and inimitable sacred city' if voted to power. Adityanath also invoked the Ayodhya firing incident, questioning who had ordered the firing — a remark widely seen as an attack on the SP's political legacy.

Responding directly, Gawande said: 'When Yogi Adityanath makes an allegation against the SP chief over who fired at whom during the Ayodhya firing incident, he is playing a politics of distraction that we must all be wary of.'

On Religion, Accountability, and the Ram Temple

Gawande pushed back against what he described as an attempt to frame accountability questions in communal terms. 'This Hindu-Muslim politics will not be allowed in this country. It is not mandatory for somebody to be a devotee of Lord Ram in order to raise questions over the corruption surrounding the Ram Temple,' he said.

He added: 'No one needs to prove his or her religion in order to demand accountability. It is rather important to discuss real issues.' The NCP-SP leader called for an independent inquiry, arguing that 'the real question is how did the trustees, supervised by the UP CM himself, commit corruption worth thousands of crores and where did the money go.'

Paper Leak Crisis Draws Fresh Criticism

Gawande also trained his sights on the alleged irregularities in the now-postponed Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026, connecting it to a broader pattern of examination fraud. 'Every day a new paper leak is taking place in the country. Earlier, it was NEET; now, the TET question paper has also been leaked,' he said.

He called out Maharashtra Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse for facing no consequences and noted that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had not resigned despite the NEET paper leak of 2024. 'Such paper leak cases are increasing in the country due to a lack of accountability,' Gawande added. The remarks signal that the opposition intends to keep both the Ram Temple trust controversy and the examination integrity crisis at the centre of political discourse ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.