Congress Alleges House Arrest of UP Chief Before Ayodhya Temple Visit

The Congress party on Monday alleged that its Uttar Pradesh unit president, Ajay Rai, was placed under house arrest a day before a high-level party delegation was scheduled to visit Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Ram Temple. The party claimed the action was intended to prevent the delegation from traveling to Ayodhya amid an ongoing controversy over alleged embezzlement of funds related to the temple's construction.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) late Monday evening, the Uttar Pradesh Congress wrote: 'Has it now become a crime in UP to even have darshan of Lord Shri Ram?' The party stated that a Congress delegation led by Ajay Rai was set to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to offer prayers. It accused the BJP-led state government of being 'scared of this journey' and taking 'cowardly actions'.

The Congress also alleged that the Pratapgarh district Congress president, Neeraj Tripathi, was detained by police without any reason. 'Lord Shri Ram does not belong to any one political party or ideology, but is a symbol of the faith and culture of the entire country. Stopping devotees from going to Ayodhya is unconstitutional,' the party said.

The Congress demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government immediately release its leaders and allow them to visit Ayodhya without hindrance. The delegation, led by Ajay Rai, was to include Congress MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathor (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj), and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki). Former MP S.P. Gautam, former MLC Deepak Singh, former MLA Virendra Chaudhary, and former MLA Mita Gautam were also expected to join.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh accused opposition leaders of not believing in Lord Ram and questioned their criticism of those associated with the Ram Temple. 'These are the people who do not believe in Lord Ram. Some among them do not even accept his existence. They have never gone for Lord Ram's darshan. Have those criticising ever visited the Ram Temple? Have they made any contribution to its construction?' Singh said in a statement to PTI.

The incident comes amid a broader dispute over the finances of the Ram Temple trust, with opposition parties alleging mismanagement and the BJP dismissing the claims as politically motivated. The situation highlights the continuing political polarisation around the temple, which was inaugurated in January 2024.