Karwar: Just two days ahead of voting,
R V Deshpande, minister for heavy and medium scale industry, who is also Congress candidate from
Haliyal assembly constituency, has raked up the issue of
Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. This has attracted rebuttal from pro-Hindu organizations and BJP.
While addressing media here in Thursday, Deshpande stated that BJP had cheated people of the country by collecting money and bricks to build the temple. “Ram Mandir issue is being raised by BJP to garner votes,” he said.
The statement of Deshpande, who is facing a stiff contest by BJP rival Suneel Hegde, follows the recent visit of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath to his constituency.
Balakrishna Pai, state president of
Hindu Jagarana Vedike (Karnataka), held a press meet on Thursday, and accused Deshpande of misleading people. “It was Congress-led UPA government that stalled the then Kalyan Singh-led government to build the temple in Ayodhya. The UPA government acquired the land meant for the temple and took the matter to court. Senior Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal pleaded on behalf of those who had opposed the temple in Ayodhya. Very recently, Sibal had prayed to the apex court to put the Ram Mandir case on hold till the next election. This shows who all were responsible for the delay in the construction of the temple,” Pai said, and called upon Hindus to defeat Congress so Ram Mandir is built.
BJP too reacted sharply to the statement. “Deshpande’s defeat is imminent in Haliyal as a large number of Muslims joined BJP in Haliyal recently. Deshpande is panicked by the visit of (UP chief minister) Adityanath to Haliyal, where he drew a large crowd. To cover-up his failures, Deshpande is trying to raise the temple issue,” said Rajesh Nayak, district spokesperson of BJP.
The statement has also surprised Congress leaders in the district. A senior Congress leader said that Deshpande, being a seasoned politician, has always stayed clear of controversies. “He should not have touched the Ram Mandir issue, especially when elections are round the corner. The statement has given an ammo to BJP, which is desperately trying to polarize voters on communal lines. The statement will have repercussion in other constituencies in the district too,” he said.
