'Congress will build Ram temple if elected'

AICC general secretary Harish Rawat. Pic/PTI

Describing Congress as the only party which had taken serious steps in the past towards construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, AICC general secretary Harish Rawat said on Friday that the party will try its best to fulfill the demand if it comes to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.

"My statement on Ayodhya is already in public domain. I have been saying that if elected to power at the Centre, the congress will try its best to build a Ram temple there. My stand on the issue should also be considered as the party's view," Rawat said.

He said even senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had acknowledged the fact that it was the Congress which had made serious efforts towards construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya twice while in power.

Accusing the BJP of doing politics over the issue, he said the Centre should play the role of facilitator on the construction of a temple. Targeting the BJP over the Pulwama terror attack, Rawat said the saffron party was giving the tag of being a nationalist only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was wrong.

"Why is only Prime Minister Modi being reckoned as a nationalist. I have strong objection to it. Every citizen of India is a nationalist. I am also a nationalist and so are you," he said, adding that the entire nation stands together over the martyrdom of the 40 CRPF soldiers.

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