"Can never understand significance of Ram temple...": Keshav Maurya slams Mamata Banerjee

BJP leaders have slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remarks that the ruling party at the Centre was "doing a gimmick before elections" over credit for the "pran prathishtha" at Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22

New Delhi [India], January 10 (ANI): BJP leaders have slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remarks that the ruling party at the Centre was "doing a gimmick before elections" over credit for the "pran prathishtha" at Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. They said those who have not played any role in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation can never understand the significance of the temple.

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Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said people have made sacrifices for the construction of Ram Temple.

"Those who have not played any role in the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, those who do not feel the pain of a mosque being built on the Ram Temple. They haven't been lathi-charged, nor have they been jailed. They can never understand the significance of this temple being built after 500 years of agitation," Maurya told ANI.

"No other religious place in the world has seen so much contribution, as is seen by Ram Janmabhoomi Temple- be it financial, physical, or emotional," he added.

Union Minister Nityanand Rai slammed the opposition alliance and accused it of appeasement politics. He said that the pran pratishtha of idol of Lord Ram at Ayodhya temple on January 22 was a religious event organised by the temple trust and not the BJP.

"Not only Mamata Banerjee but the entire arrogant alliance is nervous because their policies are based on appeasement by opposing Sanatan. Why will BJP do politics with the temple? This is not the programme of BJP, it is the programme of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust," he said.

RJD MP Manoj Jha said that there is a direct connection between "my religion, my God and me" and there is no need of contractors.

"There is a direct connection between my religion, my God and me. There is no need for contractors in this... I can directly communicate with my God. Yes. We should learn a lesson from what happened in the neighbourhood due to the mix of religion and politics," he told ANI, responding to queries about Banerjee's remarks.

Addressing a public distribution programme in South 24 Parganas on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee said she believes in festival that takes everyone together and will never allow religious discrimination.

"Yesterday, I was asked about Ram Mandir... I believe in a festival that takes everyone together and talks about everyone. Do whatever you want; you are doing a gimmick before the elections. Do it; I have no problem but disregarding people of other communities is not right. I will never allow discrimination between Hindus and Muslims as long as I live," she said.

Preparations are underway for the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla's idol at the grand temple on January 22. (ANI)