With several opposition leaders alleging the BJP of politicizing the inauguration of Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that his government and his party are in full support of Ram Mandir.
“We are not against the issue of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, we are not against building a temple either, we are not against Ram Mandir we are in favor of Ram Mandir,” said Siddaramaiah on Sunday.
His comments have come at the time when one of his ministers alleged the central government for using the Ram Mandir inauguration to gain votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.
Drawing a parallel between the Pulwama terror attack and the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya, Congress leader and Karnataka Planning and Statistics Minister, Dasharathaiah Sudhakar, said, “The BJP government used the Pulwama terror attack to secure votes in the last Lok Sabha elections, and This time, they are holding Lord Ram’s photo now.”
While alleging the BJP of using Ayodhya Ram temple’s inauguration for its electoral gain Sudhakar called the ceremony a “stunt”.
Speaking to media personnel in Chitradurga, Sudhakar remarked, “The inauguration of Ayodhya Ram Mandir is a stunt. People are not fools. We have been fooled twice. I am confident that we won’t be fooled for the third time.”
He further added, “It is true that the opening of the Ram Mandir is in the background of the Lok Sabha Elections. MLA Raghumurthy and I contributed money to the Ram Mandir. We have also given bricks in the past.”
Calling the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya an election gimmick, Sudhakar emphasized that Lord Ram is a god for everyone. Recalling the previous Lok Sabha election, he questioned why there was no mention of Ram Mandir at that time.
“BJP is using India’s religious beliefs to garner votes. Where was the Ram Mandir in the last elections?” questioned Sudhakar.
In February 2018, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus carrying forty army personnel was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
Days after the attack, the Indian Air Force carried out air strikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp on February 26, 2018. The IAF had dropped five Spice 2000 bombs, out of which four penetrated the rooftops of the buildings. where terrorists were sleeping. The airstrike is said to have killed hundreds of terrorists.