Advani says BJP will build temple at Ayodhya

Gorakhpur (UP), Feb 15 (PTI) Making a strong pitch for
a Ram temple at Ayodhya, the prime ministerial candidate of
India's main opposition BJP, L K Advani Sunday asserted that
the party remained resolved to build this shrine saying the
"mandir issue" had helped it catapult to power at the Centre
before.

"The party has not forgotten its resolve to construct
Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It was the Mandir issue, which finally
took Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power at the Centre and
several states and changed the course of Indian politics," he
said.

"The BJP is still committed to the construction of Ram
Mandir. The real essence of 'Jai Sri Ram' can be realised only
after the Ram Temple is built in Ayodhya," he said while
addressing 'Rashtra Raksha Vijay Sankalp Rally' in the Hindi
heartland here in northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate said five years
of UPA Government witnessed upsurge in terrorism and accused
the Centre of worsening the plight of common man.

He claimed that there were no cases of farmers'
suicide in BJP-ruled states, while such incidents were
occurring in non-BJP states.

Advani charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with
working on the dictates of United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Advani said the party would face the electorate on
issues of terrorism, corruption and farmers' plight.

Questioning the veracity of Pakistan Government's
claims on arresting those involved in Mumbai attack, Advani
said, "My question is whether the role of the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) behind every terror attack was probed by
Pakistan."

"Unless the role of ISI was probed, no terrorist would
ever be caught. Till date, there is no information about the
murderers of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The Centre should not allow itself to be befooled by
Pakistan."

The former deputy prime minister was also of the view
that till Pakistan hands over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to
India, there was no point in having talks with the neighbour.

Accusing the Congress of playing vote-bank politics,
Advani said, "The PM has not given any answer till date why
Afzal Guru was not hanged. Even the Supreme Court has upheld
the death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru."

He claimed that Guru was not hanged because he
belonged to a minority community.

On UPA's 'aam aadmi' slogan, he said, "Despite its
concern for the aam aadmi, the prices of essential commodities
have gone up in the last 3-4 years." PTI AVS
PMR
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