'BJP committed to the construction of Ram Mandir'

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday raked up the Ram Temple issue again, saying it was the party's resolve to build the temple in Ayodhya and claimed that the issue had catapulted the party to power at the Centre earlier.

"The party has not forgotten its resolve to construct Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It was the Mandir issue which finally took the BJP to power at the Centre and several states and changed the course of Indian politics," he said.

"The BJP is still committed to the construction of Ram Mandir. The real essence of 'Jai Sri Ram' can be realised only after the Ram Temple is built in Ayodhya," he said while addressing 'Rashtra Raksha Vijay Sankalp Rally' in Gorakhpur.

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate said five years of United Progressive Alliance government had witnessed an upsurge in terrorism and accused the Centre of worsening the plight of common man.

He claimed that there were no cases of farmers' suicide in BJP-ruled states, while such incidents were occurring in non-BJP states. Advani charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with working on the dictates of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Advani said the BJP would face the electorate on issues of terrorism, corruption and farmers' plight.

Questioning the veracity of the Pakistan government's claims on arresting those involved in Mumbai attack, Advani said, "My question is whether the role of the Inter Services Intelligence behind every terror attack was probed by Pakistan."

"Unless the role of ISI was probed, no terrorist would ever be caught. Till date, there is no information about the murderers of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The Centre should not allow itself to be befooled by Pakistan," he said.

The former deputy prime minister was also of the view that till Pakistan hands over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India, there was no point in having talks with the neighbour.

Accusing the Congress of playing vote-bank politics, Advani said, "The PM has not given any answer till date why Afzal Guru was not hanged. Even the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru."

On the UPA's 'aam aadmi' slogan, he said, "Despite its concern for the aam aadmi, the prices of essential commodities have gone up in the last 3-4 years."