Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani on Saturday asked Muslims to support the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya even as he accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of "harbouring terrorism" in India.
Addressing a public meeting at Moradabad town in western Uttar Pradesh, Advani said: "In the same way, Sardar Patel had got the Somnath temple constructed when Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister, the country's Muslims should cooperate in the building of a Ram temple with mutual cooperation."
Advani, the party's prime ministerial candidate, appealed to the Muslims, without naming the Babri Masjid Action Committee, to withdraw the court case against the construction of the temple at the controversial site in Ayodhya.
The public meeting was part of the Vijay Sankalp rallies planned by the BJP across the country. Hundreds of party workers attended it.
Advani hoped a temple would be built at the site where the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992.
The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha accused the UPA government of promoting terrorism in the country.
"The government is just not serious to combat terrorism. It is not in favour of a strict anti-terror law like POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act). This clearly exposes the fact that the government, in a way, is harbouring terrorism."
Advani said if the BJP comes to power, it will take adequate measures to contain the rising inflation and undertake projects for welfare of farmers.
