Amarnath Shrine, Ram Setu not political issues in coming assembly election: BJP

            Raipur, August 23, 2008: Amarnath shrine land dispute and Ram Setu matters would not be used as political issues in the coming assembly elections, BJP today categorically said.

      Amarnath and Ram Setu both are matters of faith of the crore of people and BJP respect the places of faith of all religions, hence definitely the party will not make them political issues in the coming elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan, BJP National Spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

            However, the Congress led UPA was involved in talking lightly of Hindu religion, whether it is Lord Ram or Ram Setu, he claimed.

We are asking the Congress and its partners, do they have guts to talk in the same fashion against other religion or their Gods the way they have been speaking about the Hindu religion and its Gods, the BJP National General Secretary asked.

      Terming the agitation on Amarnath shrine land dispute as a fight between nationalist versus separatists, he said ISI was spreading misinformation that only Hindus are opposing the land cancellation issue and also there was total economic blockade, and both were proved wrong.

     Prasad also urged the Election Commission to take cognizance of the statements of two union Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ramvilas Paswan and also that of Mulayam Singh Yadav speaking in favour of SIMI, when the Centre had termed that a terrorist organisation.

     When the Centre had told the apex Court that about 400 cases are pending  against the SIMI, including 60 in the last two years, how Lalu Prasad, Mulayam and Paswan have called it a social organization and also said excesses are being done to that organization, he said.

     SIMI never belief in Indian Constitution, and such statements by the heads of the three political parties was a serious matter and the Election Commission should take cognizance of that as political party have to express confidence on Indian constitution to be registered with the Commission as a political organisation, Prasad said.

     Why the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is also silent over such statements of two of his ministers calling SIMI a social organization, the BJP asked.

     Prasad also pulled up New Delhi for not providing proof of involvement of terrorist activities by SIMI before the Commission, when it was allegedly behind from the Mumbai train blast to the latest Ahmedabad explosions.

      Continuing with his attack on the Congress, Prasad also severely pulled up the Congress-led government at the Centre over the political instability in Jharkhand and demanded immediate assembly polls to end the political uncertainty there.

  and Jharkhand, two deals are undergoing in the country at present and Congress is responsible for the Jharkhand political instability, he said.

     Advocating for immediate election, he said BJP strongly wanted such instability to be ended for the welfare of the people and for that immediate election was the only solution.

        He also said most corrupt  practices were adopted to save the Manmohan Government, while commenting on the attempt of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to form government.

During the recent confidence vote, most corrupt practices were adopted to save the Manmohan government, which also gave a severe blow to the honest image of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, he said adding making Shibu Shoren the chief minister of Jharkhand was also a part of that deal.