A statewide campaign named 'Ram Raksha' has been announced by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray against the alleged misappropriation of donations collected for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The movement was announced on Friday, with Thackeray alleging that devotees' money had been looted and blaming the ruling BJP for the alleged misuse of the donations. It was stated by him that "Hindus will no longer forgive," a remark made by referring to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's slogan, "Ab Hindu mar nahi khayega." All devotees of Lord Ram, irrespective of their political affiliation, were invited to participate in the campaign.
The first programme under the movement has been scheduled for Sunday evening at the Hanuman Temple near Kabutar Khana in Dadar West. It was stated that Thackeray would be accompanied by senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders and that the gathering would begin at around 4 pm. During the programme, the Ram Raksha Stotra, Maruti Stotra and Hanuman Chalisa will be recited. Devotees who are upset over the alleged misuse of Ram Temple donations, including BJP leaders, party workers and members of other political parties, have been invited to attend. It was also announced that similar programmes under the Ram Raksha movement would be organised at Ram and Hanuman temples in cities and villages across Maharashtra.
Questions were raised by the media about whether Thackeray would visit Ayodhya to protest the alleged donation scam, considering that he and his party had earlier donated money and silver bricks for the construction of the Ram Temple. In response, it was stated by Thackeray that the immediate focus would be on protesting the alleged misuse of Ram Temple donations across Maharashtra. He said that Ram devotees across the state would first be awakened through the campaign and added that he would visit Ayodhya in the future.
During the announcement, criticism was also directed at the BJP-led government. It was alleged by Thackeray that the BJP leadership was enjoying "absolute power," which, according to him, had resulted in "anarchy" in the country. He further claimed that there was a lack of accountability in the BJP government and described it as an example of arrogance arising from power. It was also stated by him that the roots of the issue needed to be addressed.
The role of the Ram Temple movement in the BJP's political growth was also referred to by Thackeray. It was stated by him that the party had only two Members of Parliament before the Ram Temple movement. He recalled that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had contributed to the movement and that Shiv Sena leaders and party workers had travelled to Ayodhya to participate in the kar seva. According to Thackeray, Hindus had suffered during the Ram Temple movement and the riots, and he asserted that they should now confront the BJP over the alleged misuse of Ram Temple donations.
Referring to attempts to split Shiv Sena (UBT), Thackeray stated that the ruling parties should stop using names such as "Operation Tiger" and instead call it "Operation Ram Temple."
The campaign was criticised by BJP MLA Ram Kadam, who described the Ram Raksha movement as "political business in the name of Lord Ram." He advised Thackeray not to politicise the Ram Temple issue. Kadam also stated that when Thackeray was the Chief Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, temples had been kept closed while liquor shops had remained open. He further alleged that Thackeray spoke about Lord Ram only when he was out of power and urged him not to play politics over the Ram Temple.