NEW DELHI: Union Minister Uma Bharti on Sunday said that Bharatiya Janata Party does not have a patent on Ram Mandir and that all parties should come together to build the temple in Ayodhya. "BJP does not have a patent on Ram Mandir, Lord Ram belongs to everyone. I appeal to everyone including SP, BSP, Akali Dal, Owaisi, Azam Khan, etc to come forward and support the construction of the temple," the minister said.
She also lauded Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray for visiting Ayodhya and pressing for the demand to build the temple. "I appreciate Uddhav Thackeray for his effort," she added.
An ally of the NDA but often openly vocal against the BJP, Shiv Sena said the BJP government at the Centre "may not last" if the temple was not constructed in Ayodhya. The Sena chief demanded that an ordinance be brought in and warned that emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted.
"The Shiv Sena has been supporting (them) on the issue of Hindutva and will continue to do so. Bring ordinance or a law but construct temple ...The emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted," he said.
He dared the BJP to admit the Ram temple issue was "election rhetoric", saying if the matter was to be left for the court to decide, then it should not be brought up during poll campaigning.
The Shiv Sena chief, who offered prayers at the Ram Lalla temple, noted that Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and only one session of Parliament remains, he asked the government to bring an ordinance.
Thackeray said that during election campaigning the BJP manifesto had said that possible solutions to the Ram temple will be searched while remaining in the ambit of the Constitution.
"In the last four years how many possibilities did you come across? Did you not get one based on which the temple could be constructed? For how long will we continue to search the possibilities," he asked.
Sharpening his attack, Thackeray said, "If the matter is to be left to court, then it should not be used be used during election campaigning. And tell us that it was a 'chunaavi jumlaa' (election rhetoric)." |
