On a day when the Election Commission directed all political parties to strictly adhere to the Supreme Court’s order prohibiting the use of religion while campaigning, BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya declared that the saffron party will ‘build a grand Ram Temple at the dispute site in Ayodhya if it secures an outright majority’.
"Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority," Maurya told reporters here on Tuesday.
The issue comes to fore whenever elections are round the corner. At present, the matter is pending before the Supreme Court and till date, the BJP leaders had been skirting temple-related questions saying the matter was sub judice.
Later he clarified that the Ram Temple is a matter of faith and that his party will not make temple an election issue in UP.
“Ram Mandir is a matter of faith. At this time, the party is not going to make it issue. The grand temple of Lord Ram is not going to be constructed in two days, the temple will come up only after the polls,” he said.
The latest development contradicts the BJP bigwigs’ claim that the Ram Temple was ‘no more an issue for the party in elections and it has abandoned it’.
This was not the first time when Maurya openly promised of building a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Describing it as a ‘core issue’, Maurya had in 2015 said that ‘we (BJP) have not got enough mandate... We need 370 seats, according to the Constitution, to address this’.
Further, Maurya lashed out at Akhilesh Yadav, saying the ‘UP Chief Minister is neither with Backward Classes nor Dalits, he only betrays’.
His remark came after Allahabad High Court directed the state government to ensure no fresh caste certificates are issued to those belonging to 17 Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups.
Asked about the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance, Maurya said, "SP is a sinking ship and that of Congress had sunk long back. Even if BSP joins it, they will not be able to salvage it."
‘Will not hesitate to send Akhilesh, Mayawati to jail’
Alleging that the entire government machinery under Yadav was embroiled in corruption, he said that after coming to power, ‘the BJP will conduct a probe and if needed, send them to jail’.
He also accused the Chief Minister of cheating people and claimed there were irregularities in admissions, women safety issues were not accorded priority and dial 100, launched to improve police services, was nowhere to be found.
"If the BJP comes to power (in Uttar Pradesh), all cases of corruption of the present as well as the former government will be probed. The BJP will not hesitate to send Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati to jail if they are found guilty," he said, claiming a wave in his party's favour.
Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, will go to the polls in seven phases between February 11 and March 8. Results will be declared on March 11.
