'Congress will bulldoze Ram temple if it comes to power,' says Modi in UP's Barabanki
Barabanki (UP), May 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday here alleged that the Congress will run a bulldozer on the Ram temple if the INDIA bloc comes to power.
Addressing an election rally, Modi said the Congress is planning to challenge the Supreme Court's order on the Ram temple once it comes to power and will eventually demolish the temple.
"If the SP-Congress comes to power, it will send Ram Lalla once again to a tent, and a bulldozer will be rolled over the temple," he said.
Modi also accused the Congress of being responsible for Partition. He said what used to be thought of as impossible – that the country could ever be divided — was done by the party.
"When the freedom struggle was going on and the talk of dividing the country used to come up, every person used to wonder can the country be divided? Did it happen or not? They did it or not? They can go to any extent. Their track record is such," he said referring to the Congress.
"The country does not matter to them. For them, the game is for family and power," he added.
The PM was in Barabanki to seek support for party candidate Rajrani Rawat who is contesting from the Lok Sabha seat.
He thanked the people for voting for him in the previous elections, saying it was their vote which ended the "500-year-long" wait for the Ram Mandir.
"People from Barabanki walked on foot to Ayodhya with bricks with 'Ram' inscribed on them. The youngsters, the first-time voters, will not understand the 500 years of wait … Generations after generations of our ancestors struggled and sacrificed," he said.
He alleged that Congress under its regime sent Ram Lalla to a "tent" and when it, along with the Samajwadi Party, was invited to the temple's consecration ceremony, refused to attend it.
"There is so much poison in their belly...don't know what enmity they have with Ram," Modi said.
In Barabanki, there are 13 candidates in the fray with the main contest restricted between Tanuj Punia of the Congress and BJP's Rajrani Rawat.
Punia is the son of Congress leader PL Punia, a former MP from Barabanki (SC) Lok Sabha seat.
In March, a day after an explicit video allegedly involving him surfaced online, sitting BJP MP Upendra Singh Rawat, who was fielded again by the party, said he would not contest any election until proven innocent.
Subsequently, the party gave the ticket to Rajrani Rawat.
Barabanki will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on May 20.
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KKR defeat LSG via Super Over
Lucknow (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders edged Lucknow Super Giants via Super Overs in a battle between two bottom-placed teams in the IPL, here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 156, LSG suffered a batting collapse and managed to tie the contest and take it to Super Over with No. 9 Mohammed Shami striking a last-ball six against a wayward Kartik Tyagi, who leaked 16 runs in the final over.
But Sunil Narine bowled a stunning Super Over conceding just one run and taking two wickets to give KKR an easy target.
Rinku Singh then finished the chase with a boundary off first ball from Prince Yadav.
Earlier the KKR were in deep trouble with 93/7 in 15 overs but Rinku smashed a sensational 83 not out from 51 balls including four sixes in a row in the final over to lift them to 155/7.
Cameron Green (34) was the only other batter to reach double-digit scores as KKR suffered a familiar batting meltdown with Mohsin taking his maiden fifer.
In reply, LSG continued their dismal show with the bat to succumb to their fifth loss in a row.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7; 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23). Lucknow Super Giants 155/8; 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42). KKR won via Super Over.
