BJP hijacked Ram temple issue from Congress: Samajwadi Party

Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary on Wednesday affirmed had the Babri mosque not been pulled down, the matter would have been resolved by now. He said that BJP has hijacked the issue form the Congress.

“It was the Congress which got the locks removed, placed the idols and Rajiv Gandhi got the ‘shilanyas’ done but you (BJP) hijacked the issue...had you not got the matter spoiled by pulling down the Babri mosque, the issue would have been resolved by now,” Chaudhary said.

He was speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint sitting of the state legislature.

The veteran Samajwadi Party leader said that like all the Hindus he too wanted Ram temple (to be built) but the matter is now in the Supreme Court, so it should be done only as per the apex court verdict or through mutual dialogue.

In a long speech laced with humour and sarcasm, he termed the 101-page governor’s address as a useless commentary.

“There is no announcement of people’s welfare scheme in the address and the only talk about loan waiver of farmers is also contradictory,” Chaudhary said citing the difference in the cut off date of cabinet decision on the issue and that mentioned in the governor’s address.

Giving a detailed account of crime cases since the new government came to power, he alleged that BJP got massive majority on false promises and propaganda.

“No one is feeling secure in the state today, not even traders,” he said, citing the recent murder of two jewellers against which traders were observing bandhs in different places.

He also said that it was a serious matter that the body of an IAS officer was found in the heart of the capital on Wednesday morning.

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Charging the government with insensitivity, Chaudhary stressed that the government seems to be in a hurry and is ordering inquiries in all the works done by the previous Akhikesh Yadav dispensation.

“People have sent them to resolve the problems but what did they do...become government of inspector raj,” he said, adding that people wanted them to solve problems of poverty, unemployment and others but they picked up broom.

“They appear not concerned about shortage of medicine but like to sweep the streets,” he said.

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The Leader of Opposition, who also gave an account of the works done during the previous government, said that the SP is not afraid of inquiries.

“If the state of law and order continues as it is now and pace of development is like this, the government does not take enough interest in people’s problems and we get the blessings of Yogi like this, we will form the next government with 285 to 350 seats (in the 403-member House),” Chaudhary said.

The SP leader said that his government was blowing its own trumpet and taking credit for the works done by the previous SP government.

Speaking on the Yogi government’s plans regarding ‘gai, Ganga and gokashi’, he lamented that a new breed of gau sewaks have emerged who target anyone who is taking cows from one place to another.

To an interruption from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna lauding his “theatrics” which he said could have forced star of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan to take retirement, Chaudhary retorted by saying that it was the mega star who was advertising on behalf of Gujarat.

On the issue of cow slaughter, the SP leader praised the party leader Azam Khan, who was present in the House, for his concerns and for raising it in the very first cabinet meeting of the SP government.

“Give up the drama and propaganda and if you are so concerned about cow, you should ban meat export by bringing a law by the central government,” he said, adding that this step has harmed poor both among the Hindus and Muslims.

“You propagate ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’, stop spewing venom against members of a particular community...are the Muslims not entitled to keep cows and buffaloes,” he said, going on to claim that members of the RSS had no role in the freedom struggle but they later hijacked it by making tall claims.

Pointing towards Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, “You are a chief minister and also a saint and you should not have the feeling of Hindu and Muslim in your mind and take all as one and take everyone along in development of the state.”