Ahead of Shah's Bihar tour Cong alleges BJP's 'duplicity' on issue of Sita temple

Patna, Aug 07 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's proposed foundation stone-laying of a temple at Punaura Dham in Bihar, scheduled a day later, was aimed at "political gains" in the upcoming Assembly polls.
    Addressing a press conference at the historical Sadaqat Ashram, the BPCC headquarters, senior leader and national media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra also charged the BJP, which rules the Centre and shares power in the state, with "duplicity" in acknowledging Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi district as goddess Sita's birthplace.
    "It is widely believed that Sita Mata was discovered by King Janaka while ploughing the fields at what is now known as Punaura Dham. The previous Congress-led UPA government had given approval to the development of Ramayana Circuit, of which Punaura Dham was a significant part", Mishra said.
    He claimed, "The Narendra Modi government began work on the Ramayana Circuit in January 2015. But not a single paisa was allotted for a temple of Sita Mata. In 2017, when a BJP MP raised a question about it in Rajya Sabha, the then Tourism Minister, Mahesh Sharma, said in his reply that there was no evidence of the goddess having been born at the spot."
    Mishra claimed that the Nitish Kumar government gave a similar reply when he took up the issue of a temple of goddess Sita in the state legislative council, of which he was then a member.
    "So, it is evident that till recently the BJP was even questioning the existence of Sita Mata, refusing to acknowledge her place of birth. And now, with assembly polls around the corner, it has suddenly realised the need for a temple", alleged the senior Congress leader.
    He added, "It speaks volumes about the duplicity of the BJP, which brazenly exploits religious sentiments for political gains. It did so in the case of Ram temple (at Ayodhya). It is out to do the same in Bihar. Quite unlike the Congress, which respects people's faiths but does not use these for electoral gains".
    "When the home minister reaches Sitamarhi tomorrow for laying the foundation stone for the temple, he should also apologise to the people of Bihar for the insult of Sita Mata by his party", demanded Mishra.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)