New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari on Monday slammed Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over his statement on constructing a university on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, saying it is an attack on the religious faith of crores of Hindus.
The Congress also launched a scathing attack on Sisodia over his remarks that the Sheila Dikshit government "didn't do any work" during its tenure.
"The construction of a grand Ram Mandir on the Ram Janmabhoomi is a matter connected with the religious faith of crores of Hindus. Aam Aadmi Party is opposing it because it wants to win over Muslim voters," Tiwari said in a statement.
In an interview with NDTV on Sunday, Sisodia had suggested building a university at the site of the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. He emphasised that ‘Ram Rajya' can be ushered in through education and not by constructing a grand temple.
Tiwari said AAP is issuing anti-Hindu statements for giving it a religious colour so that people may not raise questions on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's failures during the last three-and-a-half years.
"Diverting the attention of the people from the development of Delhi and entangling them in communal politics is proof of his (Kejriwal's) dirty politics. The Delhi BJP does not oppose the construction of a Haj House by spending Rs 100 crore of the hard-earned money of the people of Delhi but the demand for Ram Temple by the Hindus is the reflection of the religious faith of crores of Hindus," Tiwari said.
Calling Sisodia's statement irresponsible, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken said: "In the past three-and-a-half years, the AAP government did nothing other than quarrelling among themselves, with officials, the Lt. Governor and political opponents to cover up their own failures, and have failed to fulfil even a single promise made to the people."
Maken said the Education Ministry under Sisodia was "one of the worst performing ministries under the AAP rule" as the standard of government schools plummeted as never before, forcing students to leave en masse.