Ajay Rai, head of India’s opposition Congress party in Uttar Pradesh state, alleged that police officers stopped him at his hotel in the northern city of Ayodhya when he arrived with a party delegation on Monday to visit the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi temple amid the ongoing corruption controversy.
“The dictatorship of the BJP government is at its peak!” Rai blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party for the “arrest” in a post on Twitter.
He said in the post, “I had just reached Ayodhya when the BJP government got so scared that the police arrested me from the hotel and are taking me away in their jeep.”
The government did not immediately comment on Rai’s claims.
Rai’s post included a video showing the regional opposition leader sitting on a chair in a hotel room, while at least two police officers in uniform stood by.
The leader questioned the officials as to why the government had a problem with worshiping in their temple. The cordial and smiling officers said that they would ensure that he prayed but requested him to understand his situation.
Rai’s wife released a video statement late Monday night saying she feared for his safety.
Opposition is putting pressure on Modi and BJP over claims of donation theft.
Amid the growing controversy over claims of embezzlement of temple donations, Rai and a large delegation of the Congress party are scheduled to visit the Ram temple on Tuesday. It is not clear whether opposition politicians will now visit the temple or not.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is a symbol of success for India’s ruling Hindu nationalist government.
The construction of the temple itself was controversial as it was built on the grounds of the Babri Masjid, which was demolished by a violent Hindu nationalist mob in 1992. The construction of this grand temple was a central campaign promise of Modi and his ministers before coming to power in 2014 and again in 2019.
The temple trust was set up under a Home Ministry notification, and its trustees include known associates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
Opposition leaders and critics are now trying to draw a link between the Modi government and the alleged theft, turning the controversy into a political battleground between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and opposition parties.
PM Modi has not yet commented on this issue.
Uttar Pradesh state officials are currently investigating corruption allegations. On Monday, a local court in Ayodhya sent all the accused in the so-called donation scam to judicial custody for two weeks. Hindustan Times Report.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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