UP Congress chief Ajay Rai alleged that police detained him and other party leaders before a planned visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, while the BJP dismissed the charge as political drama.
Ajay Rai alleged that he and other Congress leaders were stopped by police while travelling to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Ram Temple. | ANI
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Tuesday alleged that he and other party leaders were placed under house arrest and later taken into police custody while travelling to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
The Congress leader said the proposed visit was intended to seek the blessings of Lord Ram and pray over what he described as the “disrepute” caused to the holy site by allegations of donation theft and land-related irregularities. The BJP, however, dismissed the allegations, with state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar calling the episode an attempt to create controversy.
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Speaking in a video message, Rai said the delegation was headed to Ayodhya for darshan when police intervened.
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“We all intended to visit Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. We had formed a delegation led by me to offer prayers and seek darshan. We also wanted to pray to the Lord regarding the disrepute brought to this holy site by the RSS and BJP through the theft of offerings and donations, as well as land scams…Our colleagues and I were placed under house arrest,” he said.
Rai further alleged that police detained the delegation late on Monday night.
“Around 11:30 PM, the police forcibly arrested us and brought us to the guest house of Acharya Narendra Dev University. We are being subjected to harassment and are being prevented from visiting the temple…We are prepared to do whatever it takes, even if it means going to jail or giving up food and water for a few days to ensure we get to offer our prayers,” he said.
#WATCH | UP Congress Chief Ajay Rai says, “We all intended to visit Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. We had formed a delegation led by me to offer prayers and seek darshan. We also wanted to pray to the Lord regarding the disrepute brought to this holy site by the… https://t.co/GWlCynTwHT pic.twitter.com/DXeKjyHt79
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 30, 2026
The Indian Youth Congress also alleged on X that the BJP government had placed the delegation, led by Ajay Rai, under house arrest before it could proceed to Ayodhya. The organisation questioned why the government was “afraid of the devotees of Lord Shri Ram.”
आज कांग्रेस का प्रतिनिधिमंडल प्रभु श्री राम के दर्शन के लिए अयोध्या जा रहा था,
लेकिन BJP सरकार ने यूपी कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष @kashikirai जी समेत प्रतिनिधिमंडल को हाउस अरेस्ट कर लिया।
आख़िर प्रभु श्री राम के भक्तों से इतना डर क्यों?
जय श्री राम। 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/N00ZLaNUgP
— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) June 30, 2026
Rai’s wife, Rina Rai, also criticised the state government and alleged that efforts were being made to silence the Congress leader.
In a post shared from Ajay Rai’s X account, she said, “The BJP government is ready to stoop to any depths to silence my husband’s voice! After being taken away in a police jeep, now our colleagues are being misled with false information.”
The post added, “Our fight against the ‘offering thieves’ will continue. If anything happens to my husband, the full responsibility will lie with this unjust BJP government.”
Responding to the Congress charges, Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar rejected the claims.
“This kind of drama is being done to create a controversy,” he said.
The political confrontation comes amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
On Monday, a local court in Ayodhya remanded all accused in the alleged donation scam to 14 days of judicial custody. The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
The allegations have sparked a political confrontation in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP and the Opposition trading charges over the handling of temple donations while the investigation remains underway.
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