PM Modi slams opposition on Ram Mandir: ‘Cong, allies used it as political weapon’.

Narendra Modi interview: The prime minister accused the opposition of vote bank politics on the Ram Mandir issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the opposition of using Ram temple as a ‘political weapon’. In an interview to news agency ANI, the prime minister hit out at the Congress, questioning its decision to not attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ or the consecration ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya. “When we were not even born, when our party was not even born. At that time, this matter could have been dealt with in the court. There could have been a solution to the problem. When India was divided, then during the time of partition, they could have decided to do so and so. That was not done. Why? Because this is like a weapon in their hands, a weapon for vote bank politics,” Modi said. Accusing the Congress and opposition parties of trying to delay the judgement of court, the prime minister said,”Even, when the case was going on in the court, they tried to delay the judgement of the court. Why? Because for them, it was a political weapon. They kept saying Ram Mandir will be built, they will kill you.” “It was a way to appease a vote bank. Now what happened? Ram Mandir was built, no untoward incidents happened and that issue has gone out of their hands,” he said. In a veiled attack on India’s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi said,”Secondly, their nature. Look at the incidents from Somnath Mandir till now. What was the problem with Somnath Mandir? Dr. Rajendra Babu wanted to go. There was no Jan-Sangh, no BJP. But they refused to let him go.” While criticising the Congress for turning down the invitation for the consecration ceremony, Modi said,”You should be proud that the people who have built the Ram Mandir, those who have also struggled for it, they forget all your sins. They come to your house and invite you. And they want to start anew. You also reject them.” “Then it seems that for you, the vote bank has made you helpless. And because of that vote bank, things like this keep happening. And this… showing someone down, insulting someone, this is their nature,” he added. “Now if I go to the North East, if people there ask me to wear their clothes, I wear them. Making fun of that too. If I go to Tamil Nadu, wear a lungi, you feel, look, he is doing this, he is doing that. I am surprised, there is so much hatred” the PM added.