Ayodhya, June 30 (IANS) Congress MP Kishori Lal Sharma on Tuesday claimed that he was not allow to have darshan at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and that the Uttar Pradesh Police and the administration “forcibly” took him to the airport.

This comes after Uttar Pradesh Congress President, Ajay Rai, was reportedly placed under house arrest in Ayodhya ahead of his proposed visit to the Ram Mandir.

Earlier in the day, Congress alleged that Rai and a delegation of party leaders were prevented from visiting the temple.

Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Kishori Lal Sharma said: “They did not allow me to have darshan. Instead, the police and the local administration forcibly took me to the airport. But they will not be able to deprive me of darshan. They may stop me today, I will come tomorrow. If they stop me tomorrow, I will come the day after.”

“For how many days will they keep stopping me? I even told them, ‘Keep my identity card with you. Just allow me to have darshan like an ordinary citizen.’ But the administration was not ready for that either,” he stated.

“They created a drama over here,” the Congress MP added.

Criticising the house arrest of Congress leaders, party’s Uttar Pradesh In-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said: “Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scared, his self-confidence has broken and he is scared to lose power.”

Referring to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s recent visit to the Ram Temple, he said: “When AAP’s Kejriwal, which is (BJP’s) B team, came here, he was taken to the temple with full police protection and now when the Congress leaders decided to go, they were placed under house arrest.”

“This shows BJP’s fear. Does our faith not hold any value?” he remarked.

However, BJP leaders accused the Congress of attempting to politicise the issue amid the ongoing investigation into the embezzlement of Ram Temple donations.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest outside Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology.

Talking about the same, former Ayodhya Congress district President Akhilesh Yadav said: “He (Ajay Rai) has decided that we will not move until the party leaders are allowed to offer prayers at the Ram Temple. We will keep sitting here peacefully until our State President is allowed to have darshan (of Lord Ram).”

He asked the BJP-led government what is it “hiding” because Congress leaders are not being allowed inside the Ram Temple. “It is a temple and not the BJP’s party office,” Yadav remarked.

–IANS

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