NEW DELHI: BJP’s attempt to revive the Ram Temple issue and its promise to provide one cow each to every BPL family in its poll manifesto today drew derisive comments from the Congress.

"If BJP is giving a cow to the poor, this will definitely be one, which does not give milk," remarked party spokesperson Rashid Alvi amid peals of laughter.

Attacking the Opposition party for raking up the Ayodhya issue again, Alvi said, "Instead of honouring Lord Rama, BJP is interested in making it an issue".

He said the BJP did not talk at all about the temple issue when it was in power for six years at the Centre and also in Uttar Pradesh.

"They remember it whenever elections come. People are not going to be cheated with such things.

Asked to comment on BJP's statement that it will scrap the 4.5 per cent reservation for backward minorities if it came to power, the Congress spokesperson said, "BJP knows it is not going to form the government. Even in UP, the BJP is going to finish fourth. So they can say anything."

Releasing its poll manifesto for Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow, the BJP said it was committed to remove all hurdles in the path of construction of Ram temple.

Terming UPA's decision to give 4.5 per cent reservation to backward minorities within the 27 per cent OBC quota in central government jobs and admissions as "motivated by vote bank politics", the party said when BJP comes to power it would be scrapped and 27 per cent quota of the OBCs restored. 

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