Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai on Monday hit back at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the controversy surrounding his fish feast in Ayodhya and also hurled a challenge at the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to either provide evidence of that he consumed non-veg food or else resign from the post.
“Let him provide evidence. If he can prove what he claims, I will resign from my politics else he should resign,” Ajay Rai said, issuing a challenge to the Chief Minister.
He maintained that the feast was organised by members of the Nishad community, for whom the fish remains an integral part of their traditional food and culture.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced showing fish being prepared at a banquet hall in Ayodhya, an event which purportedly saw UP Congress chief Ajay Rai in attendance.
The video triggered sharp criticism from Hindu religious figures and several BJP leaders, who objected to the preparation and consumption of non-vegetarian food in Ayodhya, a city considered sacred by Hindus, particularly during the holy month of Sawan.
Defending his participation in the event, Rai said that Congress leaders had visited the venue after attending a programme and having darshan at the temple. He said the event had been organised by a member of the Nishad community as a felicitation programme and argued that the food being prepared was part of the Nishad community’s traditional practices.
Speaking to IANS, Rai said, “Certainly all of us went there, we went to the Lord’s court and had darshan there. Ram Nihal Nishad had organised a felicitation programme there. Now what are they making, what are they serving? And that dish is an integral part of the Nishad community. They prepare it themselves, and their job is to serve it to their people. We were invited, and I attended their programme.”
Rai also displayed his Janeu, the sacred thread traditionally worn by many Hindus, while questioning the BJP’s claims regarding religious identity. He challenged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders to demonstrate their own adherence to Sanatan traditions.
Taking further swipe at the BJP, Rai alleged that some leaders were using religious symbols and clothing merely to mislead people.
“These people just wear orange clothes to cheat people,” he said.
Rai also went to challenge the Chief Minister over his religious credentials and claimed that if Yogi Adityanath could not provide the evidence he was demanding, people would not accept him as the head of religious institution.
“If they fail to provide proof, then people will not accept Yogi ji at his ‘math’ also; he will have to go back to his home in Uttarakhand,” Rai added.
The Congress leader’s remarks came after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, earlier in the day, criticised the UP Congress president over the fish feast controversy.
“You must have seen the conduct of the Congress state president yesterday. They went to Hanumangarhi for darshan and then went outside and enjoyed a fish feast. They keep chanting ‘Ram Ram’, there is a limit to shamelessness. Who asked them to go to the temple in the first place? Whatever they wanted to eat, they could have eaten it outside, outside Ayodhya. But this is their double standards. Even the chameleon would feel ashamed in front of them,” CM Yogi said at the public rally.
(IANS)
