Ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s manifesto release for the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told voters that if the party wins, they will get to visit the Ayodhya Ram Mandir free of cost. Addressing a public meeting in Gadwal on Saturday, November 18, Amit Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the construction of the Ram Mandir, which is expected to be opened to the public on January 22 next year.
“Congress was unjustly delaying the Ram Mandir construction for 70 years. The Modi government is set to open the temple for the public on January 22. Don’t you all, especially the women, want to visit the temple for darshan? Won’t that cost you? But don’t worry. Vote the lotus into power, and BJP Telangana will ensure that by turns, everyone will get to visit the Ram Mandir free of cost,” Amit Shah said.
He also lashed out at the BJP’s competitors in Telangana – BRS, AIMIM and Congress – accusing them of being dynastic parties. He called them ‘2G, 3G and 4G parties’ saying their current leaders were respectively from the second, third and fourth generation of political leaders from the same family.
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On Saturday, Amit Shah will preside over the unveiling of the BJP’s manifesto in Hyderabad around 5.30 pm, after addressing public meetings at Gadwal, Nalgonda and Warangal throughout the day.
Campaigning is continuing in full swing by leaders of all major political parties in Telangana as the state heads towards voting day on November 30. In the previous 2018 elections, the BJP had won just one seat – Goshamahal near Hyderabad’s Old City represented by controversial MLA Raja Singh, who has been repeatedly accused of hate speeches and communal polarisation. Overall, the BJP managed to get only 6.98% of the vote share, while TRS had 46.87% and Congress secured about 28.43% of the vote share.