The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Tuesday alleged that its state president, Ajay Rai, had been placed under house arrest in Ayodhya ahead of a proposed visit by a party delegation to the Ram Temple, with Rai calling the move a “cowardly attempt” by the BJP government to stop Congress leaders from offering prayers amid the ongoing row over the embezzlement of devotees’ donations.
In a post on X, Rai accused the BJP government of acting in a “dictatorial” manner, claiming he was placed under arrest shortly after arriving in Ayodhya. Questioning the action, Rai alleged that those involved in the alleged donation theft and land scams in Ayodhya were “afraid of devotees of Lord Ram”.
“We will neither stop nor bow down,” he added in his post.
In a statement, the party alleged that Rai was confined to Hotel Padam Shri Palace in Ayodhya after arriving in the city to lead the delegation. The Congress said it had already informed the local administration about the visit, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Congress also claimed that Pratapgarh district Congress president Neeraj Tripathi was detained by the police without any justification.
“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 delegation, led by Rai, includes MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathor (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj) and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki). Former Barabanki MP S P Gautam, former MLC Deepak Singh, former Maharajganj MLA Virendra Chaudhary and former Barabanki MLA Mita Gautam are also expected to be part of the visit.
The visit comes against the backdrop of the Ram Temple donation theft case, in which eight people have been arrested following a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the embezzlement of donations offered by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
The accused were part of the team responsible for counting and managing cash and valuables donated by devotees at the Ram Temple. Opposition parties have alleged that the arrests target only lower-level functionaries, while the “main culprits” remain untouched.
Meanwhile, sources in the State Bank of India (SBI) claimed the bank had recommended replacing the temple’s cash-counting staff nearly three months ago after suspecting irregularities in the handling of donations.
However, members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust allegedly did not approve the move. The Trust has not yet responded to the claim.
The controversy has intensified in recent days, with Opposition parties accusing the BJP of shielding those responsible for the misappropriation of temple donations. The BJP has rejected the allegations, asserting that the state government is ensuring a fair investigation and that strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged “true Sanatanis” not to vote for the BJP or seek election tickets from the party, alleging that it had “betrayed Lord Ram”. He also claimed that the alleged theft had links extending to Karnataka and accused those involved of being part of “election-related conspiracies”.
Congress leader Pawan Khera intensified the Opposition’s attack, saying the alleged donation theft at the Ram Temple was “just the tip of the iceberg” and that more such cases would emerge.
Responding to the criticism, Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh accused Opposition leaders of not believing in Lord Ram, saying they had neither visited the Ayodhya temple nor contributed to its construction, yet continued to question those who had “given up family life to serve the nation.”
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also attacked the BJP, alleging that it had “looted” the country and “did not even spare Lord Ram”, while urging voters to defeat the party.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the request of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following allegations of misappropriation of devotees’ donations. Acting on the SIT’s findings, police arrested eight people: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
The issue has also reached the courts. The Supreme Court deferred hearing a plea seeking a time-bound CBI-led investigation into the alleged irregularities, observing that there was no urgency and listing the matter after the summer break.
Similar petitions seeking an independent probe and greater transparency in the temple trust’s functioning were also filed before the Allahabad High Court.
Meanwhile, Faizabad Bar Association president Kalika Prasad Mishra said the association would move the Allahabad High Court seeking a CBI probe into the alleged donation theft and, if necessary, approach the Supreme Court.
He also said the association would seek the registration of an FIR against Champat Rai, Gopal Rao and Anil Mishra under Section 156(3) of the BNSS, which empowers a magistrate to direct a police investigation into a cognisable offence.
“We will first approach the police to register the case. If no action is taken, we will seek legal recourse through the courts,” Mishra said.
Champat Rai’s brother, Sunil Bansal, however, defended him, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. Bansal said Champat Rai had devoted “everything” to the RSS, the Ram temple movement and the service of the nation.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) also backed the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, saying it had initiated an internal enquiry and consistently supported a fair investigation. The RSS affiliate further said that Champat Rai and Anil Mishra had voluntarily stepped down from their positions in the trust to ensure an impartial probe.
– Ends
Published By:
Shipra Parashar
Published On:
Jun 30, 2026 07:22 IST
