SP, Congress against Ram temple: Shah

New Delhi: Top BJP leaders descended upon Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh holding separate rallies in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring Ghaziabad ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a public gathering in Muzaffarnagar to seek votes for BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan , Shah lauded the Narendra Modi government for honouring the sentiment of the people by initiating the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

"Akhilesh Yadav ji's party (SP) and the Congress never wanted the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. The Congress kept the issue of Ram Janmabhoomi stuck for 70 years but Modi ji won the case, performed bhoomi pujan and also the consecration of Ramlalla," Shah said.

He also criticised the Opposition alliance, referring to them as the 'I.N.D.I.A. bloc,' alleging involvement in scams and corruption amounting to Rs 12 lakh crore.

"The aim of the opposition is to make people from their family chief ministers and prime ministers. The aim of Modi ji is to make the poor, farmers, helpless, Dalits and tribals strong and stand on their feet," he added.

Further, Shah highlighted the achievements of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, claiming an end to the migration of people and the eradication of goon terror in the state.

Meanwhile, Rajnath Singh, while launching his Lok Sabha poll campaign in Ghaziabad, assured the Muslim community that no one in India, regardless of caste or creed, would lose their citizenship. He pointed to the BJP's commitment to nation-building and its fulfilment of promises made in past manifestos, including the abolition of triple talaq.