BJP will build temple at Ayodhya, says Advani

Gorakhpur: Making a strong pitch for a Ram temple at Ayodhya, BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani on 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 BJP to power at the Centre and several states and changed the course of Indian politics," he added.

"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," Advani said while addressing 'Rashtra Raksha Vijay Sankalp Rally' in Gorakhpur.

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate said that 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 the non-BJP states.

Advani charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with working on the dictates of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

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

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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 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 Pakistan’s former 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.

Advani also accused the Congress of playing vote-bank politics.

"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,” said Advani.

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 three to four years."