BJP steers clear of Ram Mandir in high-stake UP

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

Ram Mandir and Uniform Civil Code are the BJP’s traditional poll planks, but the party seems to have decided against raking up these controversial issues in the run up to next year’s Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

While RSS-affiliates Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are keeping the pot boiling, the BJP says it would stick to “development agenda”.

A day after PM Narendra Modi sounded poll bugle from Saharanpur, BJP chief Amit Shah today said the party would approach the state with the agenda of the NDA government — development that is.

On the BJP’s traditional poll planks, Shah said, “These are part of our manifesto. If you read it, you will find that it is mentioned how we intend to work on them.” While supporting the construction of the Ram temple, the BJP manifesto says it should be done either with consensus or as per judicial decision.

Terming the SP as the BJP’s main challenger, he said Akhilesh Yadav government’s “corruption and misgovernance” would also be issues.