Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and other BJP MLAs have cancelled their planned visit to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Ram Temple. The decision was made in light of the escalating attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and the ongoing legal battle for the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu monk detained in Bangladesh on sedition charges.

The MLAs had initially planned to visit Ayodhya during the three-day recess of the Winter Session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from 6 to 8 December. However, the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh, coupled with the delay in Das’s bail hearing, prompted the cancellation.

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Mr Adhikari explained: “Given the ongoing attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and the delay in Chinmoy Maharaj’s bail hearing, we have postponed our visit to the Ram Mandir.” The BJP MLAs had previously planned to visit the temple soon after its inauguration on 22 January 2023 but were unable to do so due to the Lok Sabha elections. While the Ayodhya visit has been postponed, the BJP parliamentary team is considering a potential visit to Ram Lalla’s shrine in February during a one-day recess of the Central Budget Session.

However, they have not officially announced any plans as their primary focus remains on the situation in Bangladesh. Several BJP MLAs have expressed their concern over the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and have sought permission from Mr Adhikari to organise programmes in their respective constituencies in solidarity with the affected community.