Popular TV actor Sunil Lahri, known for his portrayal of Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic serial Ramayan, has criticized the citizens of Ayodhya for electing Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad over BJP’s Lallu Singh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In his Instagram Stories, Sunil posted an image from the iconic Baahubali scene where Kattappa kills Baahubali, with "BJP" labeled on Baahubali and "Ayodhya" on Kattappa. He then shared a note in Hindi, which roughly translates to, “We are forgetting that these are the same Ayodhya citizens who doubted Goddess Sita after she returned from exile. What do you call someone who even denies God? Selfish. History is witness that the citizens of Ayodhya have always betrayed their king. Shame on them.”

In another Instagram story, his statement read, “We salute your greatness, dear citizens of Ayodhya. You are the ones who didn’t spare even Goddess Sita. We are not shocked that you betrayed the man who made sure that Lord Ram came out of that small tent and was installed in a beautiful temple. The entire nation will never see you with respect again.”

The construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya did not yield electoral dividends for the BJP locally, as the party lost the Faizabad constituency, which includes the temple town. Prasad secured 554,289 votes against Singh’s 499,722, winning the seat by a margin of 54,567.

Sunil Lahri, along with Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, who played the roles of Lord Ram and Sita in Ramayan, had attended the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.