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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said he favoured construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya only after resolving the vexed issue amicably.
"I have been a Ram bhakt and wish that a temple should be constructed at the Ram janmabhoomi, but only after amicably resolving the dispute," Singh told reporters in Ayodhya.
"My visit to the temple town should not in any way be linked to the coming assembly polls (in Uttar Pradesh)," he said.
When asked why he did not mention the temple issue during his election meetings, the chief minister said: "The Ram temple is not an election issue."
"Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is trying to resolve the issue and everybody should have confidence in his ability," he said.
Singh asked the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to clarify whether they would construct a mosque at the disputed site if elected to power.
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