Rabri Devi said the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya is a poll issue for the BJP
Senior RJD leader Rabri Devi on Monday dared the BJP to go for temple construction at Ayodhya following demand made by RSS and VHP to take the ordinance route ignoring the Supreme Court's order after hearing on the temple issue in January.
She slammed the BJP on Ayodhya issue saying its nothing but their "poll gimmick" during election time.
"Does the BJP have the courage? Why the BJP is not able to muster courage to build the Ram Temple (at Ayodhya) ignoring the Supreme Court verdict. Who is stopping them (from constructing Ram temple)...Do they (BJP) have guts to do so," Rabri Devi, wife of party chief Lalu Prasad, told reporters here.
It is a poll issue for the BJP, the former Bihar chief minister said adding that the issue crops up whenever there is an election.
Asked why the BJP is not building Ram temple when the RSS and VHP were putting pressure on it to follow ordinance route to do away with time taken by the Supreme Court by fixing a date in January next year for hearing on the issue, the former chief minister said that "You (media persons) better ask the question to them (BJP). It is their (BJP) poll gimmick."
The temple would be constructed once the Supreme Court, which is seized of the matter, finally decides the issue, she said in reply to queries from the media at the assembly premises.
"They asking the BJP to immediately build the temple by ignoring the Apex court's order...then who has stopped them from doing so?" she asked.
Rabri Devi, who is RJD vice president, said "We all want that the temple should be constructed but with everyone's consent."