Patna: Charging BJP and RSS with using Lord Rama's name as a political tool for electoral dividends, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday dared the Sangh Parivar to announce the date for construction of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya if it was serious about it.

Neither BJP nor RSS have faith in Lord Rama and they only want to use (the name of) the diety as a political tool from time to time for electoral benefits which is not acceptable to the people any longer, he told reporters on the sidelines of a function held as part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of B R Ambedkar.

Kumar accused the Sangh Parivar of stoking religious sentiments of the people as part of its 'political line' so that the Ram Temple issue should remain alive for political benefits.

In the present case, the temple issue has been raked up as the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls are close by, the Chief Minister said. Slamming BJP and RSS for its slogan 'Ram Lala Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahin Banayenge' with his own punchline 'tarikh nahin batayenge', he said now that the people were demanding announcement of the date for the temple construction, BJP and RSS should come up with the specific date from when it will start at Ayodhya.

The Chief Minister said BJP and RSS were raking up the temple issue from time to time when everybody knew that the construction can take place only on the basis of court order or mutual agreement between contending parties.

On RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks on the issue of temple construction, Kumar said that BJP, RSS and its affiliate organisations stood thoroughly exposed following their inability to announce the date for it.

PTI