Repeated mention of Ram temple on campaign trail shows BJP bid for political mileage, says Priyanka Chaturvedi

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the repeated mention of Ayodhya in the campaign trail shows the BJP's bid for political mileage from the emotive issue.

New Delhi: A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the under-construction Ram temple will be a 'Rashtra Mandir', Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday said that the repeated mention of Ayodhya in the campaign trail shows the BJP's bid for political mileage from the emotive issue.

The Chief Minister during his address in an election rally in the Karhal Assembly constituency in the Mainpuri district on Friday had said that the Ram temple will be a 'Rashtra Mandir' for India. Speaking to media, Chaturvedi said, "Ram Mandir is a matter of faith and not politics. Talking about the matter repeatedly from the political stages shows that this government thinks that this matter can still be exploited. The whole country has accepted the decision because it has come from the Supreme Court."

The Shiv Sena MP further said that there will be a change in government in Uttar Pradesh after the Assembly polls. "I have this to say to CM Yogi humbly that the people of Uttar Pradesh are not asking you when will the temple be constructed, but when will they get employment. There is going to be a change of government (in Lucknow) in a few days," she said.

Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for comparing himself with Bhagat Singh on Friday, Chaturvedi said that he is playing the victim card instead of responding to allegations levelled against him by one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). "Kejriwal's politics has all been about levelling allegations against others. He could not prove any of his charges. The founding member of his party has openly challenged him to clarify non the charges made against him. The AAP is contesting in the Punjab Assembly elections. Punjab is the border state of the country. It is important for the country to know if such serious allegations are true. Instead, you are playing the victim card, comparing yourself with Bhagat Singh?" she said.

Earlier on Friday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur had slammed Kejriwal over allegations levelled against him by his former associate and termed AAP as an "Arvind Anti Punjab".

(ANI)