A BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh has sparked a controversy after a purported video of him went viral, in which he is heard saying that those involved in the embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya would get cancer and die a painful death.
The remarks were made by Anil Singh, the MLA from Purwa in Unnao district, at a BJP programme in Maurawan on Sunday.
The controversy comes amid a political row over the theft of donations at the Ram temple. On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government set up a Special Investigation Team at the request of the temple trust following allegations of misappropriation of donations.
In the video, Singh is heard saying, “Those who have stolen from Lord Ram’s temple will directly get cancer. It will be a death sentence from God. Wait for a year, they will develop cancer.”
He further says that while the government would take legal action against those responsible, “Lord Ram will punish them in such a way that they will die a painful death, and their next seven generations will remember the consequences of stealing from the temple.”
Based on the SIT’s report, eight people were arrested. They were identified as Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
Opposition parties have alleged that only small players were facing action and that the main culprits were still free. At the BJP programme, Singh also targeted the Samajwadi Party, alleging that its leaders were involved in “grabbing land, selling ration meant for the poor and depriving the needy of their rights”.
He also claimed that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was facing a CBI probe and was now “compelled to invoke the name of Lord Ram”.
The row over the alleged misappropriation of Ram temple donations has continued to draw political reactions in Uttar Pradesh, with Singh’s purported remarks adding to the controversy as the investigation and arrests remain under scrutiny.
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jul 1, 2026 13:38 IST
