Shimla, July 8 -- A war of words erupted between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the "irregularities" in Ram Temple donation collections, with chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming it as "theft of faith" and BJP retorting by calling Congress stance as "opportunistic politics". "Any irregularity in donations made to the Ayodhya Ram Temple would amount to 'theft of faith' of millions of devotees. People across the country donated according to their means out of devotion to Lord Ram, yet some individuals acted dishonestly even with those offerings," said Sukhu on Tuesday. During his visit to a Ram temple in Shimla, where he offered prayers and participated in 'kirtan', the CM said, "Today, we prayed to the Almighty to grant wisdom to the wrongdoers so that they might return to the right path". He noted that individuals collecting donations or engaging in politics in the name of Lord Ram and religion should do so with honesty and integrity. Sukhu stated that the credit for initiating the process for the construction of the Ram Mandir primarily belongs to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, under whose leadership the locks of the Ram Janmabhoomi site were opened. He asserted that while the Congress party has a deep faith in Lord Ram, it does not believe in exploiting religious sentiments for political gain. He added that the party respects all religions, follows the ideals of Lord Ram, and contrasts this with the BJP's use of his name solely for political purposes. Meanwhile, BJP state president Rajiv Bindal said the Congress was "opportunist" as it was changing its stance. Bindal said that Congress had opposed the construction of the temple at Lord Ram's birthplace for years. He alleged that during Congress's rule, Lord Ram was confined first behind locks and later within a tent. He stated that the current visits by Congress leaders to the Ram Mandir are proof of political opportunism rather than genuine faith. He added that Congress is altering its stance solely for the sake of vote-bank politics-a fact well understood by the people of the country....