Was Ram Temple at Ayodhya or Article 370 removal possible under Congress? asks Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday suggested that construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya has become possible only because a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at the helm at the Centre and asked if the project would not have been feasible under a Congress dispensation.

Addressing a rally in Wankaner town of Morbi district in support of BJP candidate Jitu Somani, Adityanath said the time has come to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's wish of dissolving the Congress and maintained the Opposition party was not capable of protecting the country.

Somani is contesting from the Wankaner Assembly seat where polling will be held in the first phase on December 1.

Read | Gujarat Assembly Elections: Where does Congress stand?

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, a star campaigner of the BJP, said the now-abolished Article 370 of the Constitution was the root cause of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Just like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, too, is getting the guidance of PM Modi. And the result is in front of our eyes. You must have seen that construction of a grand Ram Temple (at Ayodhya) has begun. "Similarly, Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi is now looking majestic. It has changed completely. That's why we say 'Modi hai toh mumkin hai' (If Modi is there, everything is possible)," stated Yogi.

The BJP leader targeted the Congress and sought to know if a Ram Temple in Ayodhya and abrogation of Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, would have been possible if the main Opposition party had been in power at the Centre. "Do you think the Ram Temple could have been built in Ayodhya if the Congress was in power? Or the Kashi Vishwanath Temple could have become awe-inspiring under the Congress? "Modiji and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shahji abolished Article 370, which was the root cause of terrorism. Was it possible under Congress?" Adityanath asked, to which people at the rally replied "no".

The BJP leader further claimed the opposition party can neither protect the country nor respect the faith of people and stated both these things were possible only under PM Modi. "Mahatma Gandhi had said after independence that the Congress should be dissolved. Time has come to fulfil his wish. The way the BJP and its government is working, I can see both the seats of Morbi district (Wankaner and Morbi) will go to the BJP," said Adityanath and sought votes for Somani.

The electoral "fight" in Gujarat is between nationalism and those who are against the nation, between nationalism and terrorism and between development and destruction, he said. The BJP leader said it was the 'Gujarat Model', which was established by Modi as the state's CM, which gave a new lease of life to 135 crore people during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Under this model, the Centre gave free ration and free vaccines. New schemes were announced for the poor. We gave free ration to 80 crore people (nationwide), nothing of such sort has happened anywhere in the world. Not just the country, the entire world is taking note of the Gujarat Model," he said.

Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases -- December 1 and 5 -- and ballots will be counted on December 8.