Mandir wahi banega, says Shah; asks RaGa to clarify stand
While addressing booth workers of two Lok Sabha constituencies- Tehri and Haridwar on Saturday, BJP President Amit Shah reiterated his party's stand on the sensitive Ayodhya issue. He said Ram Temple would be built at the disputed site. He also had a question for his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi. "Gandhi should clear his stand on Ayodhya," Shah said. Here's more on what he said.
Bua-Bhatija's alliance shows how powerful we are: Shah
Shah attacked the unlikely alliance of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh. The chiefs of SP and BSP, who were once bitter rivals, buried the hatchet to contest Lok Sabha elections together. On this, Shah said the bua-bhatija didn't see eye-to-eye. "It reflects how powerful we are. All these Gathbandhan people say Modi hataao and Modi says Gareebi hataao," he quipped.
Shah says Sonia-Manmohan Singh did nothing for defense sector
Rebuking the Congress, Shah said they were in power for decades but didn't do anything for the defense sector. Shah praised the interim budget which was presented on Friday. In it more than Rs. 3 lakh crore was earmarked for the defense sector. "For 10 years, Sonia and Manmohan Singh's government did not do anything for the soldiers of the country," Shah added.
Centre's scheme for farmers will eliminate corruption, says Shah
About direct funds transfer scheme, Shah said this decision will eliminate corruption. "Rajiv Gandhi had said that he sends Rs. 1 from Delhi and by the time it reaches villages it turned to 15 paise. Who ate up all that money," Shah asked. He said Congress leaders slammed government over this program but they don't even know the difference between Rabi and Kharif crops.
Notably, Shah's Mandir chorus comes after Centre approached SC
Shah's statement about Ayodhya comes days after Centre moved Supreme Court seeking permission to return the excess land to its rightful owners, which also includes the Mandir Trust. The BJP filed a writ petition in this regard and many members of the party said it was a significant step in the right direction considering the case was being delayed in the court.
Separately, Bhagwat faced protests by seers on Ayodhya issue
On a related note, at an event in Prayagraj on Friday, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat asked seers to exercise patience and said the government was doing its best for the temple construction. But when seers asked Bhagwat for a date, he failed to give one. Miffed seers then charged towards the dias. VHP workers had to remove them from the venue.
