Pak PM teaching India on minorities is like demon preaching Vedas: Ram Madhav

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav said on Wednesday that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan teaching India on how to deal with minorities is like a "demon preaching the Vedas". The leader asserted that the opposition's grand alliance was to stall Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP is open to other options if Supreme Court doesn't fast-track the Ram temple case.

"The minorities have been totally vanquished there (in Pakistan). At the time of independence when Pakistan was formed, there was 9-10 per cent Hindu population there. But now there are less than half per cent Hindus in Pakistan. Where have they all gone?" asked Ram Madhav.

"While in India minorities lead a good life and their population is increasing each year. They enjoy all kinds of rights here and have become President and Chief Justice also," said Madhav while speaking to ANI.

Imran Khan on last Saturday said that giving equal rights to the religious minorities is the cornerstone of the vision of Pakistan's founding father and that the country will show Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi how to treat these groups.

Madhav, while speaking on the opposition's grand alliance of anti-BJP parties, underlined that the only objective of 'Mahagathbandhan' is to stall Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The only objective of 'Mahagathbandhan' or the grand-alliance is to stall Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The members of the grand alliance have no common minimum programme or agenda," he said.

He highlighted, "Individually none of these parties has the courage to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That is why they have formed an alliance only to stall Modi either by hook or by crook," said Ram Madhav.

Madhav was of the view that people would reject the 'grand alliance' just as they "rejected the alliance in recently held Telangana Assembly elections". He added, "In 'Mahagathbandhan' there are more than half a dozen leaders waiting in queue to become the Prime Minister".

Madhav admitted that certain allies of the NDA have left the alliance but the BJP is trying to bring in new allies. "Alliance politics is all about accommodation and adjustment for which the BJP is ready. It is true that certain smaller allies like Upendra Kushwaha in Bihar decided to leave us but we are working on bringing new allies into our fold, especially in south India and eastern India," he added.

Speaking on the issue of Ram temple, the general secretary said that BJP would have to look for 'other options' to build Ram Temple at Ayodhya if the Supreme Court doesn't fast-track the Ayodhya case and conclude it at the earliest.

"The option of an ordinance has always been there but right now the matter is before the Supreme Court and Supreme Court has given January 4 as the date to decide about the next bench," said Madhav.

The apex court is scheduled to take up the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid case next week along with public interest litigation questioning delay in the adjudication of the matter.

The top court's bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will decide on "fixing the date of hearing before the appropriate bench".

"We are hoping that in a very fast track way the SC will take up the matter and conclude it early. If that doesn't happen then we have to look for other options. That Ram Temple should be built at Ayodhya is a commitment that BJP has supported 20-30 years ago," said Madhav.