In Uttar Pradesh, politics is unfolding in surprisingly curious ways following the revelations of donation theft at the high-profile Ram temple in Ayodhya, managed by a trust constituted by the Narendra Modi government on recommendations from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Surprise number one is the low-key response of Opposition leaders to a scandal that undoubtedly embarrasses the entire Sangh Parivar, including the BJP governments in Lucknow and at the Centre.On the face of it, the heist, suspected to run into crores of rupees, is a ready-made issue for the Opposition to run with. UP Assembly elections are mere months away. Common sense suggests that the polls could well turn on an emotive campaign crafted around trust and betrayal of sentiments of millions of Hindu devotees right under the nose of a double-engine BJP sarkar.Yet, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who never misses an opportunity to lash out at the RSS, is silent. Not one statement or tweet yet. Others with big stakes in next year’s state polls like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and even Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who remains the Congress party’s most popular face in UP, have condemned the theft and demanded strict punishment for the guilty. However, the tone and tenor of their comments sound suspiciously like pro forma statements. No bite, no fire, no call to action. Surprise number two is that UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, who should have been on the back foot as the self-declared custodian of the Hindu community, has come out all guns blazing on the issue. He is making more noise than his all political opponents.On Ram Mandir, Uddhav Has What Other Opposition Leaders Lack: Hindutva LegacyThe Unexpected CriticSince the controversy broke, Yogi Adityanath has been alternating between defending the trustees of the Ram mandir on the plea that some bad apples don’t spoil the rest, and blasting the Opposition as "anti-Hindu" for politicising an issue of faith.In the weeks since the donation theft exploded in the public domain in early June, Adityanath has upped the ante at every rally he has addressed, be it in Deoria, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh or Ayodhya itself.He has accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of siphoning off temple funds to construct mosque walls when it was in power, of firing bullet at devotees in Ayodhya (a reference to the incident in late 1990 when kar sevaks were marching to the Babri Masjid before it was demolished two years later) and of allowing namaaz at the Hanumangarhi temple.He has lashed out at the Congress for making a mockery of Hindu faith and for trying to defame the Ayodhya Dham and the deity Ram’s legacy. He has visited Ayodhya four times already in just one month. This is a record for someone who went to the temple only once in his current tenure, that too on the day it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024.The frequency of his trips prompted Akhilesh Yadav to sarcastically enquire whether the CM was setting a record to "oversee" the thefts.The irony of the ongoing furore is that it is Adityanath, not the Opposition, who has kept the spotlight on the donation theft by speaking about it every time he opens his mouth. While the Opposition is by and large absent from the public discourse, Adityanath not only dominates it, he revels in raising the pitch higher and higher.Why Corruption Scandals Don't Impact the Modi Govt Like They Did in Congress EraDisarming the OppositionIf his intention is to push the Opposition on the backfoot with frequent vitriolic attacks on it, he may be succeeding. By communalising the issue in vintage Yogi style, he seems to have sent the Opposition into a blue funk.It has failed to come up with an effective strategy to corner the RSS-BJP. In fact, the more Adityanath dials up the communal temperature, the more defensive the Opposition gets. This is a turf on which it simply cannot fight the saffron-robed CM or Modi’s BJP and it knows it. Silence seems to be a better option while it waits to see how the issue plays out in the run up to the election.However, Adityanath may be wielding a double-edged sword with his tactics. By keeping the issue alive in the public domain with his incessant utterances, the scandal at the Ram temple has become the main topic of discussion in UP. It figures in conversations at tea shops, small gatherings and even in drawing rooms.The fallout is visibly negative. Footfall at the temple is estimated to have dropped by at least 50 percent as devotees worry about the fate of their donations. Shopkeepers, hoteliers, restauranteurs and others who have benefited since the temple opened are lamenting the drop in sales and profits. While they hope it’s a temporary phenomenon, they are unsure what lies ahead.A survey conducted by leading opinion pollster C-voter after news of the donation theft broke found that people’s faith in the RSS-BJP had been shaken. It may not or may not reflect in next year’s elections but the sheen of the guardians of the Hindu faith stands tarnished.Ram Temple Donation Theft Turns BJP's 'Ram Rajya' Promise into a Bitter IronyCementing Own CredibilityThere is another interesting sidelight, the dimensions of which are yet to emerge. Adityanath himself has no stakes in the management of the Ram temple. He was allowed a say in the appointment of the trust that runs it. All the trustees are from the RSS-VHP family except for Nripen Misra, who is seen as the PM’s man.Misra is an ex-officio member of the trust. He was Modi’s first principal secretary when the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. He was also instrumental in choosing Varanasi as Modi’s UP constituency for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.In all his speeches, Adityanath makes it a point to defend the trustees. However, questions are being asked in whispers within the BJP whether this defence is a crafty way of indirectly shifting the blame to Delhi.It is no secret that relations between Adityanath and the ruling duo in Delhi are strained. He has survived in UP despite them. While a victory in UP in 2027 is as critical for Adityanath as it is for Modi-Amit Shah, the real issue is who will have the upper hand in choosing candidates and deciding election strategy.There is plenty for the Opposition to exploit but first it has to overcome its diffidence. The wait and watch strategy it seems to have adopted may leave them watching from the sidelines.(Arati R Jerath is a senior Delhi-based journalist. She tweets @AratiJ. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)The Meteoric Rise of a Monk: How Ajay Singh Bisht Became Yogi Adityanath