Ram temple not an issue in UP polls: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi:  The BJP will not contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year on the Ram temple plank as it is not a political but a cultural issue, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. "The Ram Mandir issue is not a political but a cultural issue. The matter is also sub judice. We are not going to contest the Uttar Pradesh elections on this plank. We will contest on the development plank," Rajnath Singh said during an interview with Times Now channel. The minister said his party did not indulge in the politics of communal polarisation for votes and will not do so in the future either. On the divisive and controversial statements made by certain party leaders over beef and 'Bharat Mata ki jai' slogan, Singh said such statements should not be made. "Whenever such statements came, we talked to the prime minister and gave a statement that such commentary should stop. People who make such controversial statements are also chastised. There cannot be any excuse for hate-mongering," the minister said. On the possibility of him becoming the BJP face in the Uttar Pradesh election campaign, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said there is "no dearth of BJP leaders" in the state. "I will campaign for my party, will hold public meetings. But the party has plenty of leadership faces in the state," he said.