Ram Mandir not our agenda, says Nitish Kumar

Patna, Dec 23: BJP ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday clarified that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is not a common agenda for the NDA and the issue should be resolved either through a court judgement or mutual understanding.

To a question on the issue, the JD(U) president told reporters: "We have maintained for a long time that this issue should be resolved either through a court judgement or mutual understanding".

Kumar said every party has its own views but his party's stand has been the same over the matter for long. He also took a dig at opposition parties, who have been targeting his government over alleged deterioration of law and order, among other matters, saying their propaganda will have no impact in Bihar.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan had recently said that Ram temple can be only one party's agenda and not that of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the Centre.

"The BJP should not allow anyone to "create confusion among the people by raising issues like Ram temple construction and Bajrangbali caste", he had said.

"We are committed to development with justice... I don't have the habit of speaking unnecessarily. Some people have the habit of only talking while I do my work," he said.

Hindutva groups, including BJP's ideological parent RSS, have been pressing the central government to bring a legislation to pave the way for construction of the temple at the site where Lord Ram is believed to have been born.

The case of the Ram temple land dispute is presently in the Supreme Court.