Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday accused the Congress-led United Progressive alliance government of 'appeasing' minorities and said the policy was not for welfare of the minorities but to get their votes.
"The vote-bank politics is proving detrimental to the interests of the country," Advani said, while addressing his first pubic meeting in Charoti in Thane after his Bharat Suraksha Yatra entered Maharashtra.
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Advani said the Yatra, (fifth such Yatra undertaken by him in his political career), was against secessionist forces, terrorism and was in support of good governance.
He flayed the Centre for repealing Prevention of Terrorist Activities act. "Terrorism does not end by doing away with POTA as it was the only legislation which prevented funding for the terrorists," he said.
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Advani said he had undertaken the Rath Yatra 16 years ago with the objective of building Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. "Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Sadhus had resolved to build the temple. In 1989, BJP had formally declared support to the resolve to build the temple," he said.
"Jawaharlal Nehru government had proposed rebuilding Somnath temple in Gujarat. Similarly, we told the Rajiv Gandhi government to adopt the same policy on Ram temple issue," Advani said, adding that the country was facing several threats to its security such as terrorism, infiltration of Bangladeshis and corruption.
Advani also hit out at Vilasrao Deshmukh's government for recent malnutrition deaths in the tribal belt of the state.