Amid the ongoing political controversy over alleged irregularities in donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to send a nine-member delegation to offer prayers at the temple on Tuesday, in what is being seen as an attempted outreach on faith and an attack on the ruling BJP over the row.
The visit comes amid an intense political row between the ruling BJP and the Opposition in the state.Amid the ongoing political controversy over alleged irregularities in donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to send a nine-member delegation to offer prayers at the temple on Tuesday, in what is being seen as an attempted outreach on faith and an attack on the ruling BJP over the row. The nine-member delegation comprises state Congress president Ajay Rai, MPs Kishori Lal Sharma (Amethi), Rakesh Rathore (Sitapur), Ujjwal Raman Singh (Prayagraj) and Tanuj Punia (Barabanki), MLA Virendra Chaudhary (Pharenda), former MP A P Gautam, former MLC Deepak Singh, and former MLA Meeta Gautam.As per a letter issued by the party, the delegation will leave Lucknow at 9 am and reach Ayodhya around 11 am to offer prayers at the Ram Temple and pray for public welfare. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior Congress leader, who is also part of the delegation, said the visit should not be viewed through a political lens alone. “Congress leaders have visited Ayodhya and offered prayers to Lord Ram in the past, as well. We are simply going to offer prayers like any other devotee,” the leader said. However, party sources said senior leaders are likely to raise the issue of the alleged misappropriation of temple donations after offering prayers, with the Congress planning to target the BJP over the alleged theft, and demand greater transparency and accountability in the management of offerings made at the Ram Temple. The visit comes amid an intense political row between the ruling BJP and the Opposition in the state. So far, the Samajwadi Party, led by its chief Akhilesh Yadav, has been the most vocal Opposition voice on the issue, repeatedly targeting the BJP government over the alleged donation irregularities.Story continues below this ad The Congress leaders’ Ayodhya visit will be the party’s first organised political intervention in the controversy, signalling that the party, too, intends to make the issue a political talking point ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Updated: Jun 23, 2026 04:06 PM IST A lawyer by profession, Kurian, 65, has been associated with the Sangh Parivar since 1980 and joined the BJP at its inception. (File image) George Kurian, the BJP’s lone Christian face in the Union Council of Ministers, resigned as Union Minister on Tuesday after the party decided not to renominate him to the Rajya Sabha following the expiry of his term on June 21. This comes amid the buzz that the Union Council of Ministers could undergo a reshuffle along with a rejig in the BJP organisation. Sources said Kurian had not been informed before the party announced its list of Rajya Sabha candidates that he would not get another tenure in the Upper House.“I got the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and I submitted the resignation yesterday itself. Becoming a Union Minister was something I had never imagined, even in my dreams. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose me to become a minister, and I conveyed my gratitude to him. Today, I was informed that the President has accepted my resignation,” Kurian said in a Facebook post. Sources said Kurian was informed in advance that the party would not be renominating him to the Upper House. A lawyer by profession, Kurian, 65, has been associated with the Sangh Parivar since 1980 and joined the BJP at its inception. Hailing from Kottayam, he rose through the ranks of the party, serving in both the state and national leadership of the BJP Yuva Morcha before moving into senior positions in the Kerala BJP. He later became a party spokesperson, general secretary and vice-president of the BJP’s Kerala unit. Kurian’s long association with the BJP stood out at a time when the party had little presence among Kerala’s Christian community. Unlike several other Christian leaders in the state, he was widely seen within the party as a loyal organisational worker rather than a political opportunist. He also served as vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities. During his tenure there, Kurian echoed concerns raised by sections of Kerala’s Christian community over the “love jihad” controversy.Story continues below this ad Electorally, Kurian faced setbacks in Kerala. He lost the 2016 Assembly election from Puthuppally to then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and was defeated again from Kanjirappally in the recent Assembly polls. Kurian’s elevation to the Union Cabinet in June 2024 was widely viewed as part of the BJP’s outreach to Christians in Kerala. The move came months after actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, backed significantly by Christian voters, became the BJP’s first Lok Sabha MP from the state. Kurian, a member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, belonged to a community that has remained central to the BJP’s Christian outreach efforts in Kerala. After being elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, Kurian was inducted into the Modi government as Minister of State and was assigned portfolios such as Minority Affairs, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. A vocal leader As a Union Minister, Kurian consistently defended the BJP’s position on issues involving the Christian community in Kerala.Story continues below this ad In July 2024, when the Congress and the CPI(M) accused the Centre of neglecting Kerala in the Union Budget, Kurian countered that the state would have to declare itself backward in education, infrastructure and social welfare if it sought greater Central assistance. Later that year, controversy erupted after a Bharat Mata portrait carrying a saffron flag was displayed at Kerala’s Lok Bhavan. Kurian backed the Governor’s position, stating that “everything is secondary to Bharat Mata”, drawing criticism from both the Congress and the CPI(M). He also supported the BJP-RSS stand when schoolchildren sang an RSS gana geetham during the inaugural run of a Vande Bharat train between Kochi and Bengaluru, a move that triggered political controversy in the state. In 2025, when two Kerala-born Catholic nuns
New DelhiJun 21, 2026 04:46 AM IST Eye on Assembly polls in Punjab next year, BJP president Nitin Nabin commenced his three-day visit to the state on Saturday with a promise to bring benefits of central welfare schemes under a “double-engine” BJP government. Nabin, along with BJP Punjab unit president Kewal Singh Dhillon, attended a meeting of the state core committee where he said the party has “a clear vision” for Punjab which is focused on making it drug-free.During the meeting, Nabin held detailed discussions on strengthening the BJP’s organisation down to the booth level, formulating the roadmap for upcoming programmes and reviewing the “prevailing political and organisational situation in the state”. A senior party leader pointed out that this was not the first organisational stint of Nabin in Punjab. As president of the BJP’s yuva morcha, he had camped in the state during the 2012 Assembly polls. Earlier in the day, the BJP president visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar where he offered prayers and performed seva by cleaning utensils. He also visited the Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana Temple and Sri Ram Tirath Temple. Drawing a link between his home state Bihar and Punjab, Nabin said: “I have come from Patna Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, which is also my karmabhoomi. It is my privilege to have the opportunity to visit this land of the Gurus, pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib, and offer prayers here,” he said. “This sacred place has its own glorious history, which has given Punjab a distinct identity and stature across the country and the world,” said the BJP leader.Story continues below this ad “The way Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave this city and state a unique identity, we all want to build Punjab of his dreams and for that I prayed,” he said. The BJP president said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is advancing rapidly on the path of development, and Punjab too should achieve new milestones of growth and prosperity. He said the party has “a clear vision for Punjab and it firmly believes that only a double-engine BJP government” led by PM Modi can make the state drug-free. Later in the evening, Nabin, accompanied by BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Kewal Singh Dhillon, took out a roadshow in Jalandhar.Story continues below this ad It is Nabin’s first visit to Punjab after taking over as the BJP’s national president. During his three-day tour, he will participate in a series of religious, social and organisational programmes in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
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