145;BJP not against Muslims146;

Former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani tried to strike a chord with the Muslims on the last day of campaigning for the seventh and the last phase of the Assembly polls on Sunday.

Former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani tried to strike a chord with the Muslims on the last day of campaigning for the seventh and the last phase of the Assembly polls on Sunday. Addressing an election meeting in Faizabad, Advani said the BJP is 8220;not against the Muslims8221;.

Advani called upon the Muslims to cooperate with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the BJP for a peaceful solution to the Ayodhya issue and asked them to help in the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. 8220;Muslim khud aage aayen aur mandir banane mein sahyog karein Muslims should come forward and help in the construction of the temple,8221; Advani said. The BJP leader said his party felt that Muslim support was necessary for the construction of a Ram temple here.

Clarifying the party8217;s stand, he said the BJP has never been against Muslims, but it is against those who are spreading terror in the name of religion. 8220;It was the BJP which had proposed the name of A P J Abdul Kalam for the post of the President,8221; he said. He also said that Afzal Guru, convicted in the Parliament attack case, must be hanged and none should advocate clemency for him.

In the meeting, which saw thin attendance, Advani also tried to woo voters by talking of Hindu sentiments and nationalism. Criticising the Election Commission for spreading the elections over seven phases, he said it was a ploy to ensure the defeat of the BJP.

He also said the BJP would prefer to sit on the Opposition benches, and not ally with any political party after the polls. He appealed to the voters to choose a single party as a fractured mandate only hampers development. 8220;The result of UP Assembly will have an impact on national politics,8221; he said.

Lambasting the Union Government for its foreign policy, Advani said people are being kept in the dark on the dealings with Pakistan. There have been talks with Pakistan which are under wraps and no one in the country knows about it.