Pravin Togadia says BJP 'betrayed' Hindus by dumping Ram temple issue after coming to power

Lucknow: Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Pravin Togadia on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of coming to power by promising a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh but dumping the issue thereafter. Addressing a rally at the Janakpuri ground in Akbarpur, he said: “They always said that ‘we will build a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya when we come to power with a majority’… now, four years have passed, and look, nothing has been done.” [caption id=“attachment_2191221” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Pravin Togadia. AFP[/caption] “The BJP came to power at the Centre due to votes of crores of Hindus. Now, they only remember the welfare of Muslim women… that’s how they have betrayed you,” the former VHP leader said. Togadia asked the BJP leadership that if a law could be enacted on the triple talaq issue, why couldn’t a law be made to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple. He said he will lead a march from Lucknow to Ayodhya on 21 October to “awaken” the government on the issue. Togadia accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of forgetting the “supreme sacrifices made by hundreds of people during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement” and pointed out that Modi had not visited Ayodhya even once in the past four years.