Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar felt that efforts should be made to resolve the dispute in Ayodhya.
Reacting strongly to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment on the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said the BJP was interested in keeping the issue "alive" for political purposes.
"BJP merely wishes to keep the Ram Temple issue alive. They have no respect for Lord Rama," Mr Kumar told reporters reacting to the RSS chief expressing hope that the construction of Ram temple might be completed in his lifetime.
"They treat Lord Rama as if God is a member of BJP," he said in a caustic comment.
"They give the slogan 'Mandir wahi banayenge magar tarikh nahi batayenge' (temple will be built at the same place but date will not be revealed)," the chief minister said, commenting, "What kind of followers they are?"
The RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP.
Mr Kumar asked the saffron party to clarify its current stand over Ayodhya issue and alleged that the BJP and RSS were only interested in exploiting sentiments of people in the name of the Lord Rama.
"It's decided that Ayodhya issue could be solved either through order of the Court or mutual agreement between the two communities," said Mr Kumar, who is senior leader of Janata Dal (United), said.
He felt efforts should be made to resolve the dispute on this line.
Mr Kumar's response came in the wake of the RSS chief commenting at a programme in Kolkata yesterday that, "the grand goal may be realised in our own time. May be we can see it with our own eyes."