Ram temple on BJP agenda in UP polls

New Delhi: The Ram temple issue returned to BJP's agenda as the party kicked off its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, by claiming that the party is committed to construct a temple at Ayodhya.

Top party leaders LK Advani, party chief Rajnath Singh, chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh and others who launched the campaign by addressing rallies at Agra, Jhansi and Kanpur, all pledged to construct the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

"The Ram temple objective is yet to be completed," Advani told a public meeting in Agra. Advani, in fact, claimed that it was because of the Ayodhya campaign of the party that the saffron party was voted to power at the Centre in 1999.

The former deputy prime minister slammed Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks that had his family been active in politics, there would have been no demolition of the Babri mosque.

Without naming him, Advani cited a cartoon in a magazine of the young Congress MP, saying: "The cartoon carried a remark that had that very family been active in the 12th century, Babri (mosque) would not have ever been erected."

He also attacked the UPA government for indulging in politics of appeasement and for its failure to curb price rise. Terming the UP polls as crucial, Advani said its outcome would decide which party will rule the country after the next Lok Sabha elections.

In Kanpur, Kalyan Singh said the BJP was committed to construct the proposed temple at Ayodhya. "This is not an issue linked to politics. It involves the faith of crores of people across the country," he said.

In Jhansi, Rajnath Singh attacked the UPA government for failing to curb rising prices and indulging in appeasement politics of

minorities. Accompanied by ally JD-U chief Sharad Yadav, the BJP chief termed both SP and BSP as "caste-based opportunist" parties, which are not bothered about the state's development.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said in Lucknow that Kalyan Singh will be the party's chief ministerial candidate for the crucial seven-phased Assembly polls beginning April 7.