Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the BJP wants 400 seats because the Congress can rebuild the Babri Masjid in place of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He added that the voters need to make sure that the Babri Masjid is never rebuilt in India.
"People ask us why we want 400 seats. We want 400 seats because Congress can rebuild the Babri Masjid in place of the Ram Temple. We have to make sure that Babri Masjid is never rebuilt in India. This is why we have to give PM Modi more than 400 seats and make him the PM," Sarma said at a rally in Odisha's Malkangiri.
The Assam CM added that Congress used to ask BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi the date when the Ram Mandir would be built. He said that the Congress people have now stopped asking about the Ram Mandir as the pran pratishtha of the Temple also took place amid much grandeur and lakhs of devotees visit the Ayodhya Ram Mandir every single day.
In 2019, the construction of the Ram Mandir began on the disputed site of Ayodhya after the Supreme Court's order. In January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the temple.
"Earlier, Congress used to ask us the date when the Ram temple would be built. Now they have stopped asking about it... The Congress knows we are not going to stop at the Ram Temple, we have to get every temple in our country released. Our agenda is long," he added.
Himanta Biswa Sarma's call for 400 Lok Sabha seats is not a new one. Previously, Prime Minister Modi also claimed in a speech that he wants 400 seats to prevent the Congress from putting a "Babri lock on the Ram Temple."
He further said that he wants 400 seats to ensure that the Congress does not bring back Article 370. "Modi wants 400 seats so that the Congress won’t bring back Article 370 to spoil the game, Modi wants 400 seats so that the Congress won’t put a Babri lock on the Ram temple in Ayodhya,” he said.
The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of spreading canards that if he secures 400 seats, he will change the Constitution. "It is important for the people of the country to know that the BJP-led NDA already has 400-plus seats in Parliament. We used this number to scrap Article 370 (which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir)," the PM said.