Mumbai: Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav today hit out at the BJP and RSS saying they were raking up the "Ram temple issue" only in view of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a gathering here, Yadav attributed BJP's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly elections to its "ability to create communal tensions".
"BJP is alive today because it has succeeded in creating riots and dividing people in the name of caste. But we need to fight against it with all our might even if it means sacrificing our lives," Yadav said.
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"BJP is thriving on communalism. They have suddenly raked up the Ram temple issue keeping the coming UP elections in mind. They are playing politics in the name of Ram," he said.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said on Wednesday that the Ram Mandir "may be realised in our own time" and "we need to be prepared and ready".
Yadav said that BJP's strategy was to create a fear psychosis about minorities to win the elections. "The fact is, BJP is not against Muslims. They are against you (Dalits). Their policy is that Dalits, Adivasis and the downtrodden should stay where they are," he said.
"This is why they have created an environment to make it seem like they are against Muslims. In reality they are not bothered about Muslims. The BJP only wants Hindus to unite, it is using fear of Muslims for political gains," he added.
In Bihar, Yadav said, Dalits, tribals and Muslims came together and the BJP was decimated (in Assembly polls).
"People like Babasaheb Ambedkar have taught us to break the shackles of caste system. Voting is the biggest weapon that can help us fight those who divide the country," Yadav said.
