BJP chief offers ‘grand’ masjid for Ram mandir

In a move to solve the Ram mandir issue, the BJP chief, Mr Nitin Gadkari, has come up with an exchange offer for the minority community.

He suggested, if the Muslims help build the Ram mandir, the BJP would help construct a “grand” masjid in return. Trying to reach out to the minorities, Mr Gadkari sou-ght their help to strengthen the nation. He, however, evaded all other contentious issues. Earlier, in a bid to counter the Congress, he had tried to reach out to the Dalits.

Mr Gadkari, who is desperately trying to strike a balance between the Sangh and a secular line, said that his party preferred an amicable solution, rather than settling the matter through courts.

“In litigation, one party may win and the other may lose,” Mr Gadkari said while addressing the party on the second day of the national executive on Thursday. A section of saffron leaders claimed that Mr Gadkari’s approach to solve the temple issue was in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Mr Rajnath Singh, who had adopted an aggressive approach to settle the dispute.

Considered to be an RSS man for the job, Mr Gadkari exhorted the minorities to “see for themselves what the BJP stands for.” Though he refrained from raking up the contentious issues, he targeted the Centre for “yielding to external pressure on the Kashmir issue.”