2 min readNew DelhiJun 16, 2026 04:30 AM IST
THE POLITICAL storm over alleged misappropriation of donation funds at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is all set to reach the Capital on Tuesday as the Congress has called a press conference to raise the issue. As the SIT, constituted by the UP government, began its probe on Monday, there were murmurs within the AICC that it was time the party broke its silence on the issue. UP Congress president Ajay Rai and MLA Aradhana Misra are headed to Delhi to address the press conference at the party’s Akbar Road office. Sources said they will try to corner the government both in Lucknow and Delhi over the sensitive issue just months before polls in UP.
Poll Position
THE UP Congress unit is trying to expand its footprint in the state as it prepares for seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Assembly polls next year. The party, it is learnt, is trying to induct a high-profile farmer leader from western Uttar Pradesh who had played an instrumental role in the protests against the three farm laws that were later withdrawn by the Centre. According to sources, a senior Congress MP on Monday met the farmer leader to discuss the party’s plan for him. A decision from the leader is still awaited, the sources said.
Savoury Ride
TRAVELLING ABOARD the Delhi Metro on Monday, senior Delhi Minister Ashish Sood found common ground with commuters over their favourite street food — samosa. Sood, who holds Home, Education and Power portfolios among others, spent considerable time in the Metro between Delhi Secretariat and Janakpuri West stations as part of the city government’s Metro Monday initiative, in line with PM Narendra Modi’s call to use public transport. During the journey, Sood asked the fellow commuters about their favourite Delhi street food. As some of them mentioned samosa, the minister’s smile widened and he admitted it was his weakness too. Sood seemed visibly delighted while alighting the Metro, perhaps happy sharing the ride with fellow samosa lovers.
