NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Uttar Pradesh Police placed several of its leaders, including state unit chief Ajay Rai, under house arrest a day before a high-level party delegation was scheduled to visit Ayodhya and offer prayers at the Ram Temple.Rai targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming that the BJP government “got scared” and had him arrested to prevent the delegation from visiting Ayodhya.“The BJP government’s authoritarianism has reached its peak! A delegation of the Uttar Pradesh Congress was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on June 30 to offer prayers to Lord Ram,” Rai said.“I had just arrived in Ayodhya when the BJP government got so scared that the police arrested me from my hotel and took me away in a police jeep. Why are these “donation thieves,” accused of land scams in Ayodhya and stealing temple offerings, so afraid of Ram devotees coming to the city? We will neither stop nor bow down!” he added.Meanwhile, Ajay Rai’s wife said that the BJP government is willing to go to any extent to silence her husband’s voice. She added that if any thing happened to Rai, “the entire responsibility will lie with this unethical BJP government.”“The BJP government is willing to go to any extent to silence my husband’s voice! After taking him away in a police jeep, the police are now misleading our colleagues by giving them false information,” she said.“Our fight against the “offering thieves” will continue. If anything happens to my husband, the entire responsibility will lie with this unethical BJP government,” she added.Meanwhile, UP congress also claimed that its district president of Pratapgarh Neeraj Tripathi has also been placed under house arrest (detained) by the police without stating any clear reason.“Has it now become a crime in UP to even have darshan of Lord Shri Ram? Yesterday, that is, on 30 June, a program has been proposed for the Congress delegation, under the leadership of State President Shri Ajay Rai ji, to visit Ayodhya and have darshan and worship of Lord Shri Ram. But the BJP government, scared of this journey, has started cowardly actions!” the party said in a post on X.“Just a short while ago, the Congress District President of Pratapgarh, Neeraj Tripathi ji, has been placed under house arrest (detained) by the police without stating any clear reason. Lord Shri Ram does not belong to any one political party or ideology, but is a symbol of the faith and culture of the entire country. Stopping devotees from going to Ayodhya is unconstitutional,” it added.Amid the donation embezzlement row at the Ram Temple, a high-level Congress delegation led by Rai was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Tuesday.The delegation included, Kishori Lal Sharma Amethi MP , Rakesh Rathor, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Tanuj Punia, according to a statement issued by the Congress.The Congress had also informed the local administration about the proposed visit.On Monday, a special court in Ayodhya remanded all the eight accused arrested in the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case to 14 days of judicial custody after the investigating agency chose not to seek their custodial remand.The development came as the police continued to gather documentary, financial and witness evidence.The accused include Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.