ABP Shikhar Sammelan: BJP only remembers Ram Mandir ahead of LS polls to gain political mileage, says Sibal

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, one of the speakers at the ABP Shikhar Sammelan Budget Conclave held at New Delhi on Saturday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of raking up the sensitive issue of Ram Mandir to gain political mileage during the general elections.

Kapil Sibal (Source: PTI)

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, one of the speakers at the ABP Shikhar Sammelan Budget Conclave held at New Delhi on Saturday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of raking up the sensitive issue of Ram Mandir to gain political mileage during the general elections. The senior advocate said that he was wrongly targeted by the BJP for stalling the proceeding for the Ram Mandir construction, stating that he last appeared with reference to the case in the court way back in December 2017. Sibal questioned the government that it had been one and a half years since his last appearance over the matter in the court, why could the government not push the case. He said that the Bharatiya Janta Party always uses the Ram Mandir as a political gimmick ahead of the General Elections. If the Modi-led govt was really serious about the temple construction at Ayodhya, why dint they take up the matter during the last four years. It might be noted that Kapil Sibal appeared in the Ayodhya Ram Temple case for the Sunni Waqf board and had appealed to the apex court to defer the hearing till the Lok Sabha polls. Sibal severely critized the Interim Budget presented by Piyush Goyal on Saturday, saying that what was being dubbed as an interim budget was actually a Jumla, political stunt to lure voters ahead of the general elections.He lashed out at the government saying that they dint pay attention to the dismal condition in the last five years. He added that poor farmers from Tamil Nadu had staged massive protests in both Delhi and Mumbai but the govt was insensitive to cater to their dire needs. He hit out at the government saying that they have made fun of the poor farmers by proposing to transfer Rs 6000 per annum.He said that out of the Rs 6000, Rs 2000 shall be transferred by the BJP govt during the election time to gain mileage out of the scheme. Sibal also blamed the Modi government for politicizing the Surgical Strikes conducted by the Army after the Uri terror attacks. He said that the BJP govt made false claims over the strikes being conducted for the first time. He said that past governments had also carried out such operations and would be carried out in the future too, if the need for the same arises. Responding to a question on who would be the Prime Minister face for the Congress party in the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls, Sibal said that the Congress-led UPA won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections without a prime ministerial face and would repeat the same feat in the upcoming polls. He concluded by saying that the BJP wont return to power at the Centre as the public would vote against them for thier tall and false promises made.