Advani responsible for delay in Ram Mandir construction: Khurana

Jalandhar, Feb1: Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, who joined the Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party a few days ago, today held former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani responsible for delay in the construction of Ram Mandir at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Khurana said undue intervention and politics by then BJP chief Mr Advani in the Mandir issue had delayed the process of temple contruction.

He said if Mr Advani and some of his associates would have not politicised the issue, 95 per cent task of temple construction would have been completed by now.

Mr Khurana praised the then Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre and subsequent Chandrashekhar and Narsimha Rao governments for taking positive initiatives in this direction, but criticised the narrow political approach of Mr Advani and some of his colleagues for playing with the realisation of the dream of crores of Indians.

Mr Khurana claimed that the then Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao had given a scheme to VHP and RSS leadership for construction of Ram Mandir with condition of keeping the issue away from politics.

Mr Khurana, further, said that Mr Advani was not interested in construction of the temple, but he was more interested in achieving political mileage in the name of Ram Mandir.

Hanumangarhi Mahant Gyan Das had approprately said that Mr Advani and the BJP had been using Lord Ram as their polling agent, he said.

Mr Khurana was in the town to campaign for Bharatiya Jan Shakti Party nominees for the February 13 Punjab assembly elections.

UNI