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Build mosque near Ram temple at Ayodhya: BJP
Rampur, May 28: Making an all out bid to woo Muslim voters ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, for the first time, favoured construction of mosque alongside the Ram temple at Ayodhya and promised more ministerial berth to the community in lieu of electoral support.
Rampur, May 28: Making an all out bid to woo Muslim voters ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, for the first time, favoured construction of mosque alongside the Ram temple at Ayodhya and promised more ministerial berth to the community in lieu of electoral support.
Addressing a mammoth `social harmony` rally in this Muslim dominated constituency organised by party general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Naidu listed Rs 120 crore Haj subsidy and recently launched Lucknow-Jeddah flight among the achievements of the BJP-led NDA government, which he claimed did not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims.
The proposed commission to study reservation for economically backward in government jobs, would also benefit the Muslims, he said.
"There is no question of imposing our agenda on others. The Ram temple should be built either through court, legislation or negotiation. There is no question of acting under pressure (from Sangh Parivar) or violating the law," Naidu said.
While asserting that Hindus were the soul of India, he said BJP wanted a grand temple to be built at Ayodhya but also favoured a mosque to be constructed alongside.
Interestingly, BJP`s Sangh Parivar ally VHP has been opposing construction of a mosque anywhere in the `Panchkosi Parikrama` surrounding the temple.
This is for the first time that the BJP has made such a suggestion.
Pointing out that it was the Congress which opened the lock of the disputed shrine and allowed shilanyas, Naidu said the party had always used Muslims as a vote bank and the community should not get into that trap.
"We are one nation, we are one people, join the BJP, it is your party," the BJP chief told the largely Muslim audience adding though the party wanted more Muslims in the Cabinet, it did not have enough candidates.
"If you send more numbers of your community to the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket, the ministers will also increase in proportion," he promised.
Naidu, however, avoided any reference to Gujarat or other pet issues of the party.
Even state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar, who recently launched his jagran yatra on the twin themes of Ram temple and cultural nationalism also chose to talk of BJP`s broader world view and "imported" Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh preferred to trumpet his achievements as the state chief minister and asserted BJP would foil the Congress plan to foist a "foreign woman" as the country`s prime minister.
Filmstar-turned minister Shatrughan Sinha, who was a star attraction of the programme, dismissed the "propaganda" about the party being communal and appealed to the minorities to join the mainstream and support BJP.
Naqvi, who was defeated from here in the last Lok Sabha polls sought a mandate for the party on the planks of security, prosperity and social harmony.
Bureau Report
The proposed commission to study reservation for economically backward in government jobs, would also benefit the Muslims, he said.
"There is no question of imposing our agenda on others. The Ram temple should be built either through court, legislation or negotiation. There is no question of acting under pressure (from Sangh Parivar) or violating the law," Naidu said.
While asserting that Hindus were the soul of India, he said BJP wanted a grand temple to be built at Ayodhya but also favoured a mosque to be constructed alongside.
Interestingly, BJP`s Sangh Parivar ally VHP has been opposing construction of a mosque anywhere in the `Panchkosi Parikrama` surrounding the temple.
This is for the first time that the BJP has made such a suggestion.
Pointing out that it was the Congress which opened the lock of the disputed shrine and allowed shilanyas, Naidu said the party had always used Muslims as a vote bank and the community should not get into that trap.
"We are one nation, we are one people, join the BJP, it is your party," the BJP chief told the largely Muslim audience adding though the party wanted more Muslims in the Cabinet, it did not have enough candidates.
"If you send more numbers of your community to the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket, the ministers will also increase in proportion," he promised.
Naidu, however, avoided any reference to Gujarat or other pet issues of the party.
Even state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar, who recently launched his jagran yatra on the twin themes of Ram temple and cultural nationalism also chose to talk of BJP`s broader world view and "imported" Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh preferred to trumpet his achievements as the state chief minister and asserted BJP would foil the Congress plan to foist a "foreign woman" as the country`s prime minister.
Filmstar-turned minister Shatrughan Sinha, who was a star attraction of the programme, dismissed the "propaganda" about the party being communal and appealed to the minorities to join the mainstream and support BJP.
Naqvi, who was defeated from here in the last Lok Sabha polls sought a mandate for the party on the planks of security, prosperity and social harmony.
Bureau Report