Days ahead of assembly elections in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party on January 23 again raked up the issue of Ram Temple by saying that it will be built in Ayodhya if BJP wins the elections in complete majority.
“Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority,” party’s Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said.
Earlier, the chief priest of the makeshift temple at the Ram Janm Bhumi-Babri Masjid disputed site had said that ‘mahant’ and ‘sadhu’ are believers of Lord Rama and their only wish is to see a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.
‘After Modi government took over, we hoped that now the temple would be constructed’, Acharya Satyendra Das had said.
Meanwhile, hitting out at Akhilesh Yadav as the Chief Minister of the state, Keshav Prasad Maurya has said that he is neither with Backward Classes nor Dalits, “he only betrays”.
His remark came after Allahabad High Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no fresh caste certificates are issued to those belonging to 17 Other Backward Classes (OBC) groups.
Further, on being quizzed about the SP-Congress alliance, Maurya said: “SP is a sinking ship and that of Congress had sunk long back. Even if BSP joins it, they will not be able to salvage it.” Alleging that the entire government machinery under Yadav was embroiled in corruption, he said that after coming to power, BJP will conduct a probe and if needed, “send them to jail”.
He accused the UP chief minister of cheating people and claimed there were irregularities in admissions, women safety issues were not accorded priority and dial 100, launched to improve police services, was nowhere to be found.
The state will have a seven-phase election. Below are the schedule:
Phase 1:
Date of Notification: 17 January
Last date of nomination: January 24
Scrutiny of nomination: 25 January
Withdrawal of candidature: 27 January
Voting: 11 February
Phase 2:
Date of Notification: 20 January
Last date of nomination: 27 January
Scrutiny of nomination: 30 January
Withdrawal of candidature: 1 February
Voting: 15 February
Phase 3:
Date of Notification: 24 January
Last date of nomination: 31 January
Scrutiny of nomination: 1 February
Withdrawal of candidature: 3February
Voting: 19 February
Phase 4:
Date of Notification: 30 January
Last date of nomination: 6 February
Scrutiny of nomination: 7 February
Withdrawal of candidature: 9 February
Voting: 23 February
Phase 5:
Date of Notification: 2 February
Last date of nomination: 9 February
Scrutiny of nomination: 10 February
Withdrawal of candidature: 13 February
Voting: 27 February
Phase 6:
Date of Notification: 7 February
Last date of nomination: 14 February
Scrutiny of nomination: 16 February
Withdrawal of candidature: 18 February
Voting: 4 March
Phase 7:
Date of Notification: 9 February
Last date of nomination: 16 February
Scrutiny of nomination: 17 February
Withdrawal of candidature: 20 February
Voting: 8 March
The counting will be held on March 11.
