'Development not Ram temple to be main poll plank in UP'

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Maurya on Tuesday set to rest speculation that the party would pitch for making construction of Ram temple a major poll plank in the 2017 state assembly elections, saying the foucs would be ondevelopment.

He stressed the Ram Mandir issue in Ayodhya was an emotive issue and need not be viewed through an electoral prism.

"Ram Mandir issue is an emotive issue and the party line is clear on it. We will be contesting the state assembly polls in 2017 with development as the main plank," Maurya said while interacting with media persons in his maiden press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) headquarters.

Maurya also said he has been given the responsibility of being the state unit chief for being the party's committed foot soldier instead of his caste or background.

Accusing the ruling Samajwadi party (SP) of running a family fiefdom in Uttar Pradesh and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of having ruined the state with casteist policies, the Phoolpur MP said the 2017 state assembly polls would be fought on the plank of development.

Alleging a state of anarchy prevailing in Uttar Pradesh under the nose of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP chief said he would soon take a state tour and engage workers into a massive movement to overthrow a corrupt and failed Samjwadi Party government.

Maurya said he would form his core team only after undertaking the state tour.