At Jharkhand rally, Amit Shah blames Congress for delay in Ayodhya case

Lauding the historic Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya, BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday accused the Congress of trying to delay the judgment.

"You people tell me -- Should a Ram temple be built in Ayodhya or not? But the Congress party was not letting the case be heard continuously. Now, the Supreme Court has delivered a historic verdict, paving way for a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya," Shah said while addressing an election rally in Jharkhand's Latehar, around 100 km from state capital Ranchi. 

This was first the first election rally by Shah in Jharkhand after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule. Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in five phases, beginning from November 30, and the counting of votes will take place on December 23.

Raghubar Das, who is the first ever chief minister of Jharkhand to complete a full term, is seeking to return to power. 

In his attack on the Congress party, he also brought up the issue of Article 370

"Congress had been dragging the Kashmir problem for 70 years in the greed of its vote bank. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the stigma of Article 370, bringing Kashmir on the path of development," he said. 

Highlighting the BJP's government's achievements in tribal-dominated state, Shah asked the Congress, "What did you do for tribals in last 70 years, do you have any facts on it?"

"We have opened an eklavya school in every Adivasi block, a district mineral fund has also been set up by PM Narendra Modi," he added.

Targeting Congress and its alliance partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Shah alleged that scams of Rs 1,000 crore took place during their rule in Jharkhand.

The five-phase polling in Jharkhand will be held on November 30, December 7, December 12, December 16 and December 20.