Kushwaha opposes BJP’s Ram temple agenda

Patna, Dec 6 (IANS) Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday said that it was not the work of a political party to construct a temple or mosque.

A member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said that his party opposed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to raise the Ayodhya temple issue.

Kushwaha was expected to announce his party’s future ties with the NDA on Thursday in Motihari but he chose to target the BJP’s Ram temple agenda for the first time publicly.

"Mandir banana political party ka kaam nahi hai," Kushwaha told his party leaders and workers.

He said the BJP was raising the temple issue for political gains. This was an attempt to divert the attention of the people from real issues rekated to education, health, employment and development.

The RLSP would oppose to BJP’s move to polarise the society on the issue of Ram temple, he said.

"RLSP is not against the construction of a temple but it should be constructed as per the law of the land."