Ajay Rai Stopped From Ayodhya Temple Visit? Congress Alleges Crackdown, BJP Hits Back

A political controversy erupted in Ayodhya after Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai’s wife, Reena Rai , alleged that he was detained by police while preparing to visit the Ram Temple over claims of alleged irregularities in the handling of donations.

In a video statement released on Monday night, Reena Rai claimed that Ajay Rai was taken away from a hotel where he was staying and that the family was not informed about his whereabouts. She expressed concern over his safety, alleging that he was targeted for raising questions about the alleged misappropriation of temple donations .

The Congress had announced that a delegation led by Ajay Rai would visit Ayodhya to offer prayers at the temple and raise the issue of alleged financial irregularities. The delegation included Congress MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Rakesh Rathor, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Tanuj Punia , along with other senior party leaders.

The party alleged that Rai was placed under house arrest and accused the Uttar Pradesh government of attempting to prevent opposition leaders from visiting the shrine. Congress leaders demanded that they be allowed to proceed with their planned temple visit.

The Ayodhya Police had not issued a detailed response to the allegations at the time of the reports. Officials were expected to clarify whether any preventive action had been taken and the reasons behind it. The controversy comes amid a political dispute over allegations of financial misconduct related to Ram Temple donations . The Congress has sought greater transparency, while the BJP has rejected the allegations and accused the opposition of politicising a religious issue.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh minister Dayashankar Singh criticised the Congress delegation’s proposed visit, claiming that opposition leaders had not contributed to the temple’s construction and were questioning the efforts of those associated with the project.

The incident has intensified the ongoing political confrontation in Uttar Pradesh, with both the Congress and BJP trading accusations over the Ram Temple issue, combining questions of accountability with a larger debate over faith and politics.