Shah refutes Cong charge of engineering Gujarat defections

BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday sought to put an end to speculations about leaving his post and joining the central cabinet even as he rejected the Congress' allegations that the saffron party was engineering defections in former's legislature party in Gujarat.

Speaking to reporters here, Shah also said that Ram Temple was very much on the agenda of the BJP but the party was for building the temple either through legal means or consensus.

The BJP chief also denied the charge that it was behind the breaking of the grand alliance between RJD and Nitish Kumar.

Shah seemed to be on the back foot on the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state and said that it would take some time for the situation to improve.

''I am not leaving the party post.....I am not joining the ministry....I am happy in the party organisation,'' Shah said while responding to the queries in this regard.

He also rejected charges that his party was behind the recent spate of defections from the Congress legislature party in Gujarat. ''Congress should explain why it has kept Gujarat MLAs under lock and key,'' he said.

The BJP president, in response to a question on Ram Temple, said that it was on the agenda of the party. ''It is on our agenda...but we want to build the temple either through the law or consensus,'' he added.

On the breaking of the RJD-JD (U) alliance in Bihar, Shah said that Nitish Kumar had resigned on his own following corruption charges against the RJD ministers.

He also refuted speculations that senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav could join the BJP.

Shah heaped praise on the Yogi Adityanath government in UP though he appeared to be on the back foot on the law and order issue. ''BJP government has been in power for only three months....it will take some time,'' he remarked.

The BJP chief also praised the central government and highlighted various measures initiated by the latter for the welfare of the people. ''There has not been any taint on us in the past three years,'' he said.

Shah exuded confidence that BJP would form the government again in 2019.