Ram temple issue now over, nobody discussing it any more: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said nobody was discussing the issue of Ram temple in Ayodhya any more, suggesting that the ruling BJP may not get any political benefit from it in the current Lok Sabha elections.

He made the statement while speaking to a few reporters at Purandar in Pune district on Thursday. When asked about whether the Ram temple would play any crucial role in the ongoing elections, he said, "The issue of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is now over, and no one is discussing it any more."

"During a meeting, some women pointed out and complained that although the idol of Lord Ram has been installed, goddess Sita's idol is not there," the former Union minister said.

However, Pawar's remarks drew criticism from the BJP, with the party's state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule saying that the former chief minister should have gathered information about the Ram temple in Ayodhya before commenting. "Lord Ram is there in his child form, but Pawar saheb is just interested in playing politics over it," Bawankule said in a statement.

"Pawar, who terms his own daughter-in-law an outsider, showing concerns about Sitamai is nothing but the height of hypocrisy," he said.

The BJP leader was referring to Pawar's recent remark targeted at Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is contesting election from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency against Supriya Sule.

Seeking support from his daughter Sule, Sharad Pawar had said, "There is the original Pawar and one coming from outside.