BJP to fight LS polls on Ram and POTA

Lucknow, Oct 12 (UNI) The BJP is hoping Ram and POTA will endear it again to the people in the coming Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Senior BJP leader and newly-appointed in charge of Election Affairs in Uttar Pradesh Kalraj Mishra told UNI in an interview that Ayodhya Ram temple would continue to remain the party's prime agenda in the parliamentary election.

Asked about the Ram Temple issue, which in the 1990s had seen BJP zooming to power, the UP party in charge for upcoming Lok Sabha election said BJP had never compromised on the issues related to religious sentiments of the people.

''Ram mandir is our election agenda and would remain until a grand temple is constructed at the Ayodhya site,'' he said.

Mr Mishra, to another question, made it clear the party would spare no efforts to convince the people of the state about the appeasement policies of UPA at the Centre vis-a-vis terrorism and the corrupt practices of the Mayawati government in the state. These issues would see the party through, an enthused BJP leader said.

He said such was the inaction of the government at the Centre as well as in the state that the people had to remain indoors during festivals. ''BJP workers would take the issues to the people and would put forth the BJP's policies in this regard,'' he said.

Mr Mishra reiterated the need for a law like Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) to curb the menace and said stringent law would be enforced, if BJP resumed power at the Centre.

He said the booth level committees were also in the process of being set up and the state president Rampati Ram Tripathi was in consultation with him to plan a comprehensive agitational programme to coincide with the poll campaign.

The BJP, though battling for its very survival in the state, is very upbeat about its prospects in the coming Lok Sabha polls claiming the party was poised to do well as the Congress-SP combine and ruling BSP were faced with strong anti-incumbency factor.

''The people of the state have no other choice but to look up to BJP being the only 'clean', 'honest' and 'pro-people' party worthy to be seen in the power,'' Mr Mishra said.

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