Jalandhar, Punjab (April 18, 2014): Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has triggered a controversy in the already charged political atmosphere by making a statement that said the Congress party was not averse to the idea of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) building Ram Mandir on the ‘controversial’ space in Ayodhya but was definitely against the ‘politicization’ of the issue by the saffron party during polls.
Bhattal, who has recently been nominated as Chairperson of Punjab Congress Election Campaign Committee, said: “Ram Mandir is a religious issue. We don’t have a problem in BJP making Ram Temple if they happen to form a government at the Centre.”
She stated so on Thursday (April 17) while talking to media persons at Jalandhar in a press conference.
She, however accused BJP for drawing political mileage out of the issue and said that the Congress was against the politicisation of the issue.
“Ram Mandir is an issue of faith but you know, these BJP people rake up and use this issue during elections only, to divide the people on communal lines”.
“I want to ask why Ram Mandir was not built even as the BJP remained in power during NDA regime? We don’t have objection to the construction of Ram Mandir as such”, she said.
Campaign Committee co-chairman Jagmeet Singh Brar, former minister Amarjit Singh Samra, Avtar Henry, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, former MP Satnam Kainth, Punjab Youth Congress president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, Distt. Congress Rural president Jagbir Singh Brar, Distt. Congress Urban president Rajinder Beri and Sandeep Sharma were among those present.
It may be recalled that the Hindutva forces has razed the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 to raise the Ram Mandir on the site.