Ram Mandir issue used for political purpose: Dy CM

Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara charged that BJP has been using the issue of Ram Mandir for political mileage since the beginning.

“The issue of Mandir has cropped up again as the Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching,” he said.

Speaking to a section of reporters at Mangaluru International Airport on Saturday, he accused the BJP of having collected money and bricks in the name of Ram Mandir.

“BJP had staged several protests raising the issue of Ram Mandir. However, Ram Mandir has not been built so far,” he said.

“The issue of Ram Mandir is remembered only during the election. The people of the country will teach BJP a lesson in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Reacting to allegations of phone tapping, the minister said there is no truth in the allegations levelled by BJP leaders. The people of the state should not believe in such allegations, he added.

On Sathish Jarkiholi’s statement that the state government is yet to take off, Dr Parameshwara said that he did not know what Jarkiholi was referring to. “I will speak to Jarkiholi in this regard,” he said.

He also said that no deadline has been fixed for implementing Auradkar panel report on police pay scales. The report has been discussed several times and will be implemented shortly, he added.