From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 4: Leader of Opposition and BJP leader R Ashoka has contended that Sri Rama Mandira belongs to all Indians and not any party and also claimed that the arrested Kar Sevak Srikanth Poojary of Hubballi is not a criminal.

Addressing media persons, the BJP leader argued that the arrest of Srikanth Poojary just before the consecration of the idol of Lord Rama on January 22 is a ploy by the Congress government to frighten those wishing to travel to Ayodhya to attend the ‘’historical’’ occasion.

He contended that anybody need not expect invitation to attend the event as Rama Mandira belongs to all Indian citizens. The Congress leaders had claimed at one point that Sri Rama is a fictional character and that there is no historic evidence to support, he said.

The BJP leader said the struggle for construction of the temple was going on since last 500 years, when BJP did not exist. The temple belongs to all Rama Bhakts, he said pointing out that Siddaramaiah had recently gone to a temple but did not go to offer pooja.

The chief minister never hesitates to wear a cap if he is invited to attend a mosque but is ashamed to offer pooja inside a temple, he said.

Ashoka took the chief minister to task for his statement that the arrested Kar
Sevak Srikanth Poojary had several pending criminal cases against him and wondered why no action was taken in the 50,000 to 60,000 pending cases since several years with as many as 10,000 pending cases in Bengaluru alone.

"If a 31-year-old case pertaining to Babri Masjid demolition is revived now, why no action has been taken against all the other pending cases?" he wondered arguing that Poojary is not a criminal.

He also condemned senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad’s statement that there are attempts to create a Godhra genocide like incident in the State and termed it as the part of the Congress ploy to frighten the Rama Bhakts.