New Delhi: A few unidentified men on Monday vandalised the Congress flag outside the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The incident occurred as Congress leaders, including Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai and Deepender Hooda, visited Ayodhya to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla and take a ritual bath in the Sarayu River.
In the video shared by ANI, the individuals were heard chanting 'Jai Shree Ram' as they snatched the flag and trampled on it outside the temple.
Reacting to this incident, Ayodhya Congress Mahila in-charge Renu Rai said that some anti-social elements snatched the Congress flag and also abused party workers.
"Some anti-social elements snatched our party flag and abused our party workers. This is a shameful and condemnable act. The temple ( Ram temple) belongs to everyone," she told ANI.
While the Congress top brass has declined the invitation to the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit has stuck to its plan to visit the city on "Makar Sankranti".
Other leaders including Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra, Congress national secretary in-charge Dheeraj Gurjar, and Avinash Pande also visited Ayodhya.
Last week, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party president Sonia Gandhi, and leader of the party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had turned down the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony.
The Congress leadership "respectfully declined" the invitation to attend the ceremony, while accusing the BJP of making it into a "political project" for electoral gains and asserting that religion is a "personal matter".