Amit Shah prays for 'grand Ram temple'

BJP general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Amit Shah Saturday prayed at the makeshift Ram temple built here in 1992 and hoped it will become a grand shrine one day.

Driving straight to the temple town from Lucknow, Shah offered prayers before the idols of Lord Ram and then went to the nearby Hanuman Garhi temple.

Talking to reporters later, Shah said he prayed for good governance to return to this country after the Congress gets ousted and that everyone will come together to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Ayodhya is close to the heart of millions of Hindus and I have sought the blessings of Lord Ram to rid this country of Congress ... and everyone comes together to build a grand Ram temple," said the close associate of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

He later met state leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Avadh Prant which includes 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The makeshift Ram temple was built hurriedly after Hindu activists razed the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya in December 1992. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has vowed to construct a grand Ram temple at the site.