Mumbai, July 7: The Maharashtra Congress will launch a statewide protest from Tuesday against the BJP and the RSS over the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple.

State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal earlier on Monday said, “Ram devotees have donated millions of rupees, along with gold and silver jewellery, to the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya.”

However, he alleged that the donations made by devotees were plundered and also slammed the BJP and the RSS.

“This is not just a robbery of money or donations, but a robbery committed in the name of Shri Ram against the faith of millions of devotees,” the Congress leader said.

He said the Congress party would demand strict punishment for those responsible, alleging that the BJP and the RSS had plundered Lord Ram. He added that the protest would be officially launched on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the historic Kalaram Temple in Nashik. Following the launch, a statewide ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ Satyagraha will be organised across all districts from July 9 to July 14. The Satyagraha will be held at local Ram, Shiva or Hanuman temples at the district headquarters, Sapkal said.

During the protest, Sapkal stated that prayers would be offered to the deity to “grant sanity and good sense to the deceptive people who have pocketed money in the name of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram”.

The Congress party’s announcement comes a day after the Shiv Sena (UBT) launched a statewide “Ram Raksha Andolan” on July 5, protesting alleged large-scale financial irregularities and the embezzlement of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya.

Party chief Uddhav Thackeray kicked off the agitation at the historic Hanuman Temple in Dadar, Mumbai, where he led a Ram Raksha Maha Aarti alongside party workers and a group of sadhus visiting from Ayodhya.

The protest centred around the simultaneous chanting of the Ram Raksha Stotra and the Hanuman Chalisa, which the party intends to replicate across various districts.

Prominent UBT spokespersons and leaders demanded the immediate dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, asserting that standard administrative accountability must be enforced over holy funds. Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut mounted a fierce offensive against the ruling party.

Raut levelled specific accusations, claiming that, beyond cash, valuable gold ornaments, a golden Ramcharitmanas and a gold mangalsutra offered by devotees to Mother Sita had gone missing.

Thackeray reminded the public of the Shiv Sena’s history in the original Ram Janmabhoomi movement, stating, “We are staunch and patriotic Hindus. Hindus are innocent, but they are not fools. If someone loots a temple by taking advantage of our faith, Hindus won’t forgive.”

Over the past two days, torrential rains accompanied by strong winds have battered Maharashtra, claiming 13 lives and injuring 10 others. The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) reported that around 100 houses have been damaged, leaving hundreds of people homeless due to severe flooding.

Data from the last 24 to 48 hours highlights the intensity of the downpour across the coastal and western regions. Lonavala recorded a staggering 625 mm (24.71 inches) of rain in the last 48 hours. Raigad received 236 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, Thane got 161 mm, Ratnagiri clocked 152 mm, Palghar averaged 132 mm and Mumbai registered between 100 mm and 161 mm across various sectors.

Water bodies across the state are overflowing rapidly. The Ulhas, Kalu, and Pinjal rivers have crossed their warning levels. Amba, Savitri, Kundalika, Patalganga, Jagbudi, and Ulhas rivers have breached their danger marks. Consequently, flood alerts have been issued for Badlapur, Mohane, and Jambhulpada.

Tragic incidents were reported from multiple districts as infrastructure buckled under the pressure of the storm.

In Mumbai, six people were killed and one was injured in the Mankhurd area when a building collapsed onto a slum cluster.

Additionally, one person died in the suburbs due to a tree falling. In Thane, two people sustained injuries when a portion of a building collapsed. In Palghar and Sindhudurg, one drowning fatality was reported in each district. High-velocity winds also caused the collapse of 30 houses in Sindhudurg. In Satara, a landslide resulted in one death and left four people injured.

A ‘Red Alert’ has been issued for hill stations including Matheran, Lonavala, Khopoli, and Lohagad due to an imminent threat of landslides caused by continuous heavy rainfall.

Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to these areas. In the Mawal taluka of Pune district, four citizens were trapped after a landslide hit a house in Patan.

In another incident near Talegaon-Dabhade, a bus carrying 25 passengers got stranded in floodwaters. All passengers were safely rescued by the NDRF.

In the Sudhagad taluka of Raigad district, six members of a family—including a six-month-old infant—were stranded on their roof due to rising floods. Since the roads leading to the village were completely submerged, rescuers used boats to safely evacuate them.

Traffic disruption was reported on major highways due to blockages. On Mumbai-Goa Highway, traffic ground to a halt after a landslide in the Kashedi Ghat. On Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Khopoli Highway, landslides and heavy waterlogging suspended traffic, though authorities managed to restore movement by the afternoon.

The Mawal and Tamhini Ghat was affected heavily by landslides and flooding, prompting traffic to be diverted to alternative routes.

Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the deluge hitting the rest of the state, the Vidarbha region is still awaiting its monsoon spell. Districts including Wardha, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, and Chandrapur have recorded no rainfall during this period.

Mumbai Mumbai region has been receiving continuous rain for the last five days. Even in these conditions, officers and staff of BMC’s Mumbai Fire Brigade, storm water drains, roads and traffic, gardens, public health, solid waste management, and other departments are working on the ground to ensure smooth daily life in Mumbai. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has expressed satisfaction over the tireless efforts of all these officers and staff who are making continuous efforts to maintain normalcy amidst the heavy rain. However, he has urged them to take all necessary measures while keeping their health and safety in mind. Mumbai has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. Even in such difficult circumstances, necessary measures are being implemented immediately through constant coordination between all the concerned departments of BMC. BMC engineers, officers, staff, and workers along with Mumbai Fire Brigade, Storm Water Drainage Department, Roads and Traffic Department, Health Department, Solid Waste Management Department, and other concerned units are ready round the clock to provide immediate services to the citizens. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide praised the dedication and sense of duty shown by all the officers and staff for maintaining the smooth functioning of daily life in Mumbai, even in the face of adverse weather conditions. He has also directed the field level teams to be extra vigilant and proactive, noting that the coming days are critical in terms of rainfall. He has directed that special emphasis should be given to works like drainage of water, running dewatering pumps at waterlogging points, regular cleaning of roads, trimming of trees, immediate removal of garbage and construction/demolition, immediate cleaning of possible water bodies and waste affected areas, effective monitoring during field operations and timely provision of effective arrangements. Coordination should be maintained with the concerned departments as per the requirement. In the context of rainy season, the staff is advised to take care of their personal safety and health. Furthermore, all employees should take necessary precautions to avoid leptospirosis. They are advised to take 200 mg doxycycline tablets as a preventive measure against leptospirosis. The administration has informed that these tablets are available in municipal dispensaries.