Raj Thackeray Alleges ₹18 Crore Scam At Siddhivinayak Temple

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray alleged on Sunday that approximately ₹18 crore is stolen every year from the donation boxes of Mumbai's iconic Siddhivinayak Temple. Thackeray claimed that this amount represents nearly 10% of the temple's projected revenue for the 2026 fiscal year. During a press conference, he cited a letter written by eight temple trustees, which detailed how employees were caught siphoning funds due to the alertness of the trust members. Thackeray further noted that temple earnings surged from under ₹50 lakh to ₹1.5 crore weekly immediately after the thefts were intercepted.

The allegations have sparked a sharp political exchange between the MNS and the ruling Shiv Sena faction. Sada Sarvankar, the chairman of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and a leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, confirmed that nine employees were previously arrested in connection with donation irregularities. However, Sarvankar dismissed the notion of an ongoing scam, attributing the recent rise in income to improved management and transparency. He stated that the temple's annual revenue has grown from ₹114 crore to ₹182 crore over the last two years due to trust initiatives rather than the mere cessation of theft.

Thackeray expanded his critique to include the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, where he alleged a theft of ₹1,400 crore has occurred. He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the growing corruption within religious institutions, arguing that even places of worship are no longer safe from embezzlement. These claims coincide with a heated monsoon session in Parliament, where Opposition MPs recently staged a satirical skit to protest alleged financial mismanagement at the Ayodhya temple. The Mumbai police continue to monitor the situation at Siddhivinayak as the political row over the integrity of temple trusts intensifies.