AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, publicly posed five pointed questions to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking why the senior BJP leader has not visited the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and whether he considers Lord Ram to be his deity.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Kejriwal addressed Shah directly — 'देश के गृहमंत्री अमित शाह जी से मेरे 5 सवाल' ('My five questions to the country's Home Minister Amit Shah') — and listed a sequence of escalating queries. The questions ranged from whether Shah has ever visited the temple, to whether he seeks Lord Ram's blessings, and finally whether he regards Lord Ram as a deity at all.

The post, accompanied by a video, was published at 2:30 PM IST and rapidly drew attention given the charged symbolism attached to the Ram Mandir in national politics.

Policy Backdrop

The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was consecrated on 22 January 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following a landmark Supreme Court verdict in November 2019 that cleared the path for its construction at the site of the former Babri Masjid. The temple's construction was the culmination of a decades-long campaign that has served as a central mobilising force for the BJP since the 1980s.

The consecration ceremony was one of the most widely televised religious-political events in recent Indian history, attended by senior BJP leaders, saints, and public figures from across the country.

Stakeholders and Impact

Kejriwal's questions are directed squarely at the BJP's core identity as the party that delivered the Ram Mandir. By questioning whether Amit Shah — the party's organisational backbone and the country's Home Minister — has visited the temple since its consecration, the AAP chief is seeking to draw a contrast between the BJP's political messaging around Lord Ram and the personal conduct of its senior leadership.

For Hindu devotees and voters for whom the Ram Mandir carries deep religious significance, the questions touch on a sensitive intersection of personal faith and political symbolism. Opposition parties have periodically used the frequency — or absence — of visits by BJP leaders to the temple as a line of political attack in the post-inauguration period.

What's Next

As of publication, neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor Amit Shah's office has issued a public response to Kejriwal's questions. Any official clarification, travel records confirming a temple visit, or counter-statement from the BJP would be expected to follow swiftly given the political sensitivity of the subject. The exchange is likely to intensify partisan debate around the use of religious symbols in electoral competition ahead of any upcoming state or national electoral cycle.