BJP raises Ram mandir bogey, Amit Shah promises to start construction of temple before 2019 polls

On Friday, BJP president Amit Shah said that construction of the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will start before the 2019 elections.

Hyderabad, July 14: In what could be an attempt to keep its hardcore "Hindu voters" intact, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre has once again raised the Ram mandir bogey ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The all-important polls are scheduled to take place in April/May next year.

On Friday, BJP president Amit Shah said that construction of the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will start before the 2019 elections. Shah made the promise of building the temple soon during his one-day visit to Hyderabad.

In a meeting with his party leaders in the city, Shah said that steps will be taken to clear the decks for launching construction of the temple before the polls, stated a report by IANS.

"Considering the developments, I believe that construction of Ram temple will begin before the coming general elections," BJP National Executive member Perala Sekharjee quoted Shah as saying.

Shah has also told his party colleagues in Hyderabad that the Lok Sabha elections won't be preponed, as suggested by a section of the media. However, BJP president Shah asked his party colleagues to prepare strategies to bring the party to power in Telangana.

On Friday, the hearing on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case began at the Supreme Court. The next hearing in the case is scheduled on July 20.