BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and National Executive member Subramanian Swamy has claimed that the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya is a part of the BJP's plans in Uttar Pradesh even as the India Today-Axis Opinion Poll found out that nobody in the state will vote on the basis of the contentious plank in election next year.

Speaking to news channel CNN-News 18 on Wednesday, Swamy said, "The issue (Ram temple) has not gone anywhere. If we do not raise it in Uttar Pradesh, then where will we raise it? It is on our manifesto and will definitely be our main focus."

Also read: India Today-Axis Opinion Poll for Uttar Pradesh: BJP dream run to continue, but a hung Assembly likely

Although the BJP has not officially yet announced making the Ram temple at the disputed Babri Masjid site an election issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending a Ramlila in Lucknow last week, and beginning and ending his speech with 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan has fuelled speculation that the BJP might go back to its strategy that worked wonders for the party in the 1990s.

RAM JANMABHOOMI MOVEMENT



The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid movement reached its peak in the early nineties with BJP veteran LK Advani taking out a Rath Yatra which triggered massive riots across India. The movement culminated with the demolition of the Mughal era mosque on December 6, 1992 by Hindu activists.

Also read: Opinion poll: BJP ahead in Uttar Pradesh on back of OBC support



Since then, the construction of a grand Ram temple at the site where the Babri Masjid once stood has been a recurring demand of the BJP.

But, with the matter pending before the Supreme Court, the Ram temple has become a polarising election plank exploited by the BJP, especially when there are elections in Uttar Pradesh.

DON'T WANT RAM TEMPLE: INDIA TODAY-AXIS OPINION POLL



However, the India Today-Axis Opinion Poll conducted in the run-up to the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh saw zero per cent voters saying they will vote for the BJP on the basis of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Performance of the state (32) and central (31) governments topped the list, followed by the performance of their local leaders (21).

The survey further found that barely three per cent of the respondents want a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Caste, another polarising issue in Uttar Pradesh, managed two per cent approval.



Also, significantly, just one per cent of the voters said cow protection is an issue for them. This, in the state where the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq over beef last year and subsequent death of one of the accused has turned Dadri into a national headline.

When the respondents were asked what the BJP's biggest plank in the politically-critical state should be, a whopping 88 per cent of those surveyed chose development.

WILL SEEK VOTES ON DEVELOPMENT: AMIT SHAH



BJP president Amit Shah also recently said he will seek votes on PM Modi's performance, and the promise of development and good governance, which was also the party's main agenda when it swept Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general election.

With less than six months to go for the Uttar Pradesh election, it is anybody's guess that hardline elements within the BJP, like Swamy, will continue to rake up Ram temple, while the party's top leadership will be dismissive and insist on development.

Also read: Now, Subramanian Swamy calls for war with Pakistan, says they need to be taught a lesson

