Lucknow: A video clip from a Doordarshan debate showing Ayodhya-based priest Raju Das abusing Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Kunwar Nishad during a heated exchange has gone viral on social media. The argument broke out during a debate on allegations that UP Congress chief Ajay Rai had attended an event in Ayodhya where fish was served.
As Das interrupted Nishad repeatedly, the Congress spokesperson rudely asked him to be silent, and displayed a shoe on camera.
Saffron-clad Das flew off the handle, using abusive language against the Congress spokesman before telling him, “Itna jutaa maroonga (will hit you with shoes)….”
The Doordarshan anchor’s repeated pleas to the priest to “maintain decorum” went unheeded.
डिबेट में कांग्रेस प्रवक्ता को महंत राजू दास ने दिया मां बहन की गाली।
ये कैसे बाबा है जो माँ और बहन की गाली दे रहा है। pic.twitter.com/G2y9lThWoI
— मनोज यादव (@Manoj_Yadav_) August 24, 2026
This is not the first time that Das has courted controversy. He has a history of making controversial remarks, targeting everyone from former cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya and Congress leader Salman Khurshid to actresses Swara Bhasker and Deepika Padukone.
He also blamed the administration for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) defeat in Ayodhya in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, following which his security cover was withdrawn.
The 43-year-old Das has never officially joined the BJP, but he had expressed interest in contesting the 2022 Assembly elections. However, the BJP did not give him a ticket. He has frequently targeted leaders of opposition parties with his remarks.
ThePrint contacted Raju Das for a comment, but has not yet received a response. This report will be updated if and when he responds.
Associated with Hanuman Garhi
Originally from Bihar, Das has been living in Ayodhya for several years and has long been associated with the Hanuman Garhi temple. He says he has been associated with the temple since September 2000.
He also describes himself as a law graduate from Saket Mahavidyalaya in Faizabad, having completed his law degree in 2011.
Leaders associated with the Ayodhya BJP say Das describes himself as having an ABVP background, but he never held any formal position in the organisation.
He was active in student politics at Saket Mahavidyalaya as an ordinary worker. He was also a disciple of senior saints at Hanuman Garhi, which local leaders say is why he remains well known in the town.
Das has sought a ticket to contest elections from Ayodhya on several occasions, including the 2022 Assembly elections, the mayoral election and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but was not given a ticket.
The Hanuman Garhi Temple management is divided into four ‘pattis’ (segments), one of which is the Basantiya Patti. Its Mahant is Sant Ram Das, who is also Raju Das’s guru. Das is a priest associated with one segment of the Hanuman Garhi management.
“Raju Das is a priest at Hanuman Garhi, not its mahant. Mahants occupy the gaddi and hold a much higher position. Mahants generally do not issue statements and do not make controversial remarks,” an office bearer associated with the temple management told ThePrint.
“There are several priests, and Raju Das is one of them. He also has considerable political ambitions. This is why he presents himself during television debates as a prominent saint from Ayodhya, but that is not the case,” the office bearer added.
On Das’s social media accounts, his cover photo shows him standing with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while his profile picture shows him with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He has also frequently been seen around BJP leaders and ministers at various events in Ayodhya.
Past controversies
Das first came into the limelight in 2022 when he had objected to the song “Besharam Rang” from Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone’s film Pathaan and spoke about setting theatres on fire.
He also objected to scenes featuring Padukone, alleging that she was shown wearing revealing clothes in saffron.
He claimed that the saffron colour, which he alleged the film’s protagonist Shah Rukh Khan was shown as expressing hatred towards, had historically represented the soul and identity of the country.
In 2023, he was again embroiled in controversy when supporters of then Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya and Das confronted each other at an event organised by a private television channel in Lucknow. The confrontation reportedly escalated into a scuffle.
During the controversy surrounding the Ramcharitmanas, Maurya objected to some of its chauapais, or verses, he claimed contained objectionable language and caste-based slurs. He announced a reward of Rs 21 lakh for Maurya’s beheading.
This was not the first time he had announced a reward linked to the killing of a political leader. He had earlier announced a Rs 21 crore reward for the killing of Congress leader Salman Khurshid, after Khurshid compared Rahul Gandhi with Lord Ram during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in 2023.
Das publicly said that saints would offer Rs 21 crore to anyone who beheaded Khurshid.
Das also made controversial remarks over the marriage of actor Swara Bhasker and politician Fahad Ahmad. He alleged that Bhasker had married into a community where women were subjected to practices involving repeated divorce and remarriage.
He has also described homosexuality as “wrong”. In a statement in 2023, he said homosexuality was a threat to Sanatan Dharma.
In August 2023, the women’s wing of the Samajwadi Party lodged a complaint against him in Ayodhya, alleging he made objectionable remarks against women.
The complaint related to a video in which they alleged he made comments about a “brother-in-law and sister-in-law” relationship. Das, however, claimed that the video had been edited and presented out of context.
When the administration withdrew his security
A political controversy erupted after Das’s security was withdrawn following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to BJP functionaries, Das had gone to meet then Ayodhya in-charge minister Surya Pratap Shahi to provide feedback on the election results. Ayodhya District Magistrate Nitish Kumar was also present at the time.
Das reportedly criticised the administration for the BJP’s defeat in the election and blamed officials for the result. The remarks reportedly angered the district magistrate, who refused to sit with him. A heated exchange followed, after which Das’s security personnel were withdrawn.
The then district magistrate, Nitish Kumar, said Das had a criminal history and that cases had been registered against him in 2013, 2017 and 2023. The DM alleged that Das had abused Ayodhya residents as well as the administration and was creating the impression that he was entitled to security. He said this was among the reasons for withdrawing his security.
Sources claimed that there was a late-night confrontation during a review meeting of the BJP’s Ayodhya election performance. The heated exchange between the district magistrate and Das reportedly took place in the presence of two Uttar Pradesh cabinet ministers, Surya Pratap Shahi and Jaiveer Singh.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: ‘We will pray, but not donate’: How Ram Temple donation theft row is affecting Ayodhya’s livelihood