# UP Congress boycotts TV debates over priest’s alleged abuse 2026-08-25T15:13:47+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Uttar Pradesh Congress has announced it will boycott television debates featuring Ayodhya's Hanuman Garhi Temple priest Raju Das, accusing him of abusing and threatening party spokesperson Kunwar Singh Nishad during a live debate on Doordarshan News on Monday. Congress media department chairman CP Rai said Das used obscene language against Nishad, including abusing his mother, and that the two women anchors were stunned, forcing the debate to stop midway. The party has demanded an impartial examination of the programme's original recording and video evidence, and called for strict legal action if the allegations are proven. The incident follows a political row over a purported fish feast at a Nishad community event in Ayodhya attended by UP Congress chief Ajay Rai during the Hindu holy month of Sawan. The BJP and chief minister Yogi Adityanath have attacked Rai over the alleged feast, while Congress maintains there is no proof. Rai has challenged Adityanath to produce a photograph or video showing him eating fish, saying he will apologise and resign if such evidence is produced. Congress has defended the food traditions of the Nishad community. Das has not yet commented on the abuse allegation. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same facts: the UP Congress boycott of TV debates with priest Raju Das after an alleged abusive exchange, and the wider fish-feast row with the BJP. The Times of India article leads with the Congress's 'shameful' label, slightly foregrounding the party's outrage. ABP Live's wire-feed version adds a direct quote from UP Congress chief Ajay Rai challenging the BJP to produce evidence, which shifts emphasis to the Congress's counter-attack on the fish allegation. Neither source reports any comment from the priest or the BJP on the debate conduct itself. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, with no discernible editorial slant. The key follow-up is whether Das or the BJP will respond to the abuse allegation, and whether the demanded video evidence of the fish feast will emerge. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with Congress's 'shameful' quote, slightly favouring the party's framing of the abuse incident - news.abplive.com (neutral report) Includes Congress chief's full counter-challenge on fish allegation, but otherwise factual wire report This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T03:00:51+00:00. Tags: Ajay Rai, Ayodhya, Doordarshan, Kunwar Singh Nishad, Raju Das, Uttar Pradesh Congress Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/up-congress-to-boycott-tv-debates-with-ayodhya-priest-after-abuse/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/up-congress-to-boycott-tv-debates-with-ayodhya-priest-after-abuse/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/