Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, political reactions have intensified, with opposition parties raising several questions over the issue. In the midst of this debate, a purported statement attributed to BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has gone viral on social media. The statement is being circulated in the form of a postcard carrying the branding of Navbharat Times (NBT).
The viral postcard quotes Manoj Tiwari as saying:
“We have built the Ram Temple. Whether we loot, steal, or sell it, what does the opposition have to do with it? We have consumed the public’s money, what can the opposition do to me.‘
Sharing the postcard, a user named Manoj Yadav wrote:
“He has accepted it himself, now we Samajwadis cannot do anything, now whatever happens will be done by Lord Shri Ram Ji. And if nothing happens, then consider Lord Shri Ram weak in front of BJP-RSS.”
Similarly, a Facebook user named Manoj Kumar shared the same postcard and wrote:
“Look #bhaktas… this is the #statement of our #country’s #great_leader_ji. This is what is #called adding #insult to injury [or literal: theft on top of defiance]. Taking the #opposition’s name, Leader Ji is #telling the #citizens of the #country, #pluck whatever you want to #pluck, we are in #power, we will #do whatever is in our #heart [mind], no one can #say anything!!’”
Fact Check
During its investigation, Times Headline found the viral claim to be false. No evidence was found to suggest that BJP MP Manoj Tiwari ever made the statement being circulated on social media regarding the Ram Temple donation controversy.
As part of the verification process, we reviewed Manoj Tiwari’s official social media accounts. During the investigation, we found a post on X (formerly Twitter) in which Tiwari himself denied the viral claim. Responding to a user who had shared the postcard, he stated that the post was fake and clarified that he had never made such a statement. He also urged the platform to take action against those spreading misinformation.
Since the viral image carried the logo of Navbharat Times (NBT), we further examined NBT’s official social media handles. We found an official clarification from the media organization stating that several fake posts using NBT’s branding had been circulating on social media in recent days. The publication categorically described such posts as fabricated and urged readers to rely only on information published through its verified and official platforms.
Conclusion
The investigation by Times Headline clearly establishes that the viral claim is false. Manoj Tiwari did not make the statement being attributed to him in the viral postcard. Furthermore, Navbharat Times never published or issued such a postcard. Therefore, the claim circulating on social media is misleading and fake.