Ayodhya:
Amid the ongoing row over the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh Congress has alleged that a delegation of its leaders has been put under house arrest in Ayodhya.
UP Congress president Ajay Rai was scheduled to lead a delegation of party MPs and leaders for darshan at the Ram Mandir on Tuesday. However, Rai claimed he was placed under house arrest at a city hotel after he arrived there on Monday night.
In a video statement, Rai alleged that he was kept under detention at Hotel Padam Shri Palace in Ayodhya by the district police after he arrived in the temple town.
“We intended to visit Ayodhya to seek the blessings of Lord Shri Ram. I was scheduled to lead a delegation of Congress leaders for 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,” Rai said.
He further alleged that late at night the Congress leaders were shifted to the Acharya Narendra Dev University guest house and kept under detention there to prevent them from visiting the Ram temple. “We are being subjected to harassment and are being prevented from visiting the temple,” Rai said.
Videos posted by Congress leaders showed police officials with Ajay Rai in his hotel room. Videos also showed police personnel present outside the hotels where Congress leaders are staying.
Congress MP from Amethi Kishori Lal Sharma, who was part of the party delegation in Ayodhya, also alleged that they were being stopped from offering prayers at the temple. “The BJP government that could not stop the donation theft is now stopping a Hindu from praying at the Ram temple,” he said, launching a scathing attack on the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.
Senior Congress leader and spokesperson Anshu Awasthi also hit out at the state government. “The BJP government wants to control those coming for darshan. This is the dictatorship of the Yogi Adityanath government,” Awasthi said. “Do only thieves and dacoits have the right to visit the Ram Mandir?”
The Ram Mandir donation theft case has snowballed into a major political controversy, with Opposition parties targeting the BJP government. The Yogi Adityanath government has set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the theft. The SIT has arrested eight accused, including six responsible for counting donations.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai has stepped down on moral grounds, and trustee Anil Mishra has also submitted his resignation.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said the state government would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards anyone seeking to undermine public trust.
Though the exact stolen amount is not known yet, it is estimated that Rs 7-7.5 crore in cash was missing from the temple books. So far, the police have recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh from the accused.
