BJP, RSS using Lord Ram to score brownie points: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) for raking up the sub-judice Ram temple issue and accused them of using Lord Ram as a political tool to score brownie points ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"The BJP and RSS are playing politics over this issue. They want to keep the Ram temple issue alive. Now the UP elections are coming next year so they are leaving no stone unturned to keep this issue alive," Nitish told the media here.

"The BJP and RSS are completely exposed as far as this issue is concerned. They are using Lord Ram as a political tool. This is their political line and they have nothing to do with people's faith and religion," he added.

The JD (U) leader also criticised the BJP for not announcing a fixed date for construction of the Ram temple.

"They have a slogan " Ram lala hum ayenge, mandir wahi banayege, tarikh nahi batayenge". It is for sure that the temple will be built either by the court's decision or by mutual consensus. They raise this topic again and again only to score political brownie points. The people are asking when the temple will be built," he said.

Meanwhile, security has been stepped up in Ayodhya on the 23rd anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition on Sunday.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had earlier said "a grand Ram temple" needs to be built at Ayodhya and described Lord Ram as the symbol of the country's values that bring about unity in diversity.