We will build Ram temple: UP BJP chief

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday raked up again the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on February 11, saying a ‘grand’ temple will be built in Ayodhya if the BJP secures an outright majority.

"Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. The BJP will come to power with a full majority," party’s Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya told reporters in New Delhi.

He also hit out at Akhilesh Yadav, saying the UP chief minister is neither with Backward Classes nor Dalits, ‘he only betrays’ them.

His remark came after Allahabad high court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no fresh caste certificates are issued to those belonging to 17 Other Backward Classes groups.

Asked about the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, Maurya said: “The SP is a sinking ship and that of Congress had sunk long back. Even if the BSP joins it, they will not be able to salvage it.”

Alleging that the entire government machinery under Yadav was embroiled in corruption, he said that after coming to power, the BJP will conduct a probe and if needed, ‘send them to jail’.

He accused the UP chief minister of cheating people and claimed there were irregularities in admissions, women safety issues were not accorded priority and dial 100, launched to improve police services, was nowhere to be found.