Will build Ram temple before 2019 polls: Amit Shah

BJP chief unhappy over state unit yatras

Hyderabad: Ahead of possible early elections, BJP president Amit Shah on Friday asserted that before the polls, the BJP would ensure construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya.

By raising the issue of Ayodhya, the BJP strongman apparently sought to consolidate the voters of Hindu faith against those of the minorities who are substantial in number in Telangana.

After an interaction with RSS leaders at a private hotel, the BJP leader drove for a meeting with party leaders where he expressed his displeasure over their performance thus far.

He lost his cool when he was informed that booth-level committees are yet to be formed in several districts. The BJP leader wanted the party functionaries to complete the entire exercise by August in all the constituencies and make the party election-ready.

Shah made no secret of his displeasure over why the party leaders were working at cross purposes with the objectives of the party and wanted them to pull up their socks and work as one team.

He wanted the leaders to visit all the constituencies and explain to the voters what the Centre had done for them through its various welfare schemes.

According to party sources, Shah has questioned the party leaders why they could not complete the constitution of the booth-level committees. He wanted to know why they had failed at a time when the party in Odisha had already completed the task.

Shah, who was not happy with the Jana Chaitanya Yatras (JCYs) organised by the state unit, asked them to discontinue the proposed second phase of the JCY.

Instead, he wanted the party leaders along with the Assembly constituency level workers to take out bike rallies in all the 109 Assembly constituencies and meet the people in the villages.

Stressing on a 23-point agenda set for the full-time workers, Amit Shah asked them to categorise each of the polling booths in four categories basing on the party status like the votes polled earlier, where other parties are stronger, where the party registered nil or modest performance during the earlier elections.

It was basing on the factual data, he asked the party leadership to focus on strengthening the party at the booth level.

When some leaders raised the issue of the TRS government schemes like Rythu Bandhu, KCR Kits and the like, Shah has cut short the same and asked the party leaders not to focus on what others are doing and instead they should concentrate on taking into the midst of the people the Central government's schemes like the announcement of MSP to paddy, cotton which will be more beneficial to the farmers.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah expressed confidence of starting construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya much before the 2019 general election.

Interacting with nearly 30 leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) working at various levels in the state at a private hotel here on Friday, he said the party is committed to the construction of the Ram Temple and expressed the confidence that necessary circumstances would emerge once the Apex court gave its judgment on the issue pending before it.

According to sources, the meeting between Shah with the RSS leaders has witnessed fireworks with the latter expressing their reservations over the way the state unit of the party was functioning.

Speaking to The Hans India, sources in the party and the Sangh said the interaction was cordial, but the Sangh leaders have put forth the issues bluntly before Shah.

The issues raised included the recent externment of Swamy Paripoornananda by the TRS government for six months from Hyderabad.

Terming the party activities in Telangana as directionless and digressing from Hindutva issues, the RSS leaders opined that it will have an adverse impact in garnering the support and sympathy of the majority community.