Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president and former minister Ajay Rai was allegedly placed under house arrest by police at Hotel Padam Shri Palace in Ayodhya on Monday.According to the Congress, Rai arrived in Ayodhya a day ahead of a scheduled visit to the Ram Temple with party MPs and MLAs on June 30. The party claimed that police confined him to his hotel, preventing him from proceeding with his planned religious visit.Reacting to the development, senior Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi accused the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh govt of curbing the fundamental right of devotees to visit the temple.“The BJP govt wants to control who can offer prayers. This reflects the dictatorial functioning of the Yogi Adityanath govt,” Awasthi alleged.Similar comments were made by vice president of Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress Sharad Shukla.Rai was to lead a delegation of Congress MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathore (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj) and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki), former MP PL Punia, former MLC Deepak Singh, former Kursi MLA Meeta Gautam and Pharenda MLA Virendra Chaudhary to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday.The functionaries were to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and seek the welfare and prosperity of the people, the Congress circular said.The communication, issued by Rai in his capacity as UP Congress chief, requested the Ayodhya district administration and police authorities to ensure adequate security during the visit.
