The Congress and NCP Friday hit out at the RSS-BJP for "raking up" the Ram temple issue and attributed it to the ruling party's fear of losing the 2019 polls due to its "failure" in fulfilling promises made to the people.
They also charged the ruling BJP with not being "serious" about constructing the temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya and questioned why it did not fulfil this promise despite being in power at the Centre for the past four-and-half years.
The RSS Friday said that Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya (Ram temple) issue is not a priority.
After a three-day RSS conclave here in Maharashtra, its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi earlier in the day said the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions."
Speaking to reporters Friday, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said, "The Central government is in trouble due to issues such as Rafale, CBI and others. On one hand, opposition parties are uniting against the government, while (PM Narendra) Modi's allies are leaving him."
"In such a situation, the RSS is clearly sensing 2019 poll defeat. Hence, they are raking up this (Ram temple) issue," the former Maharashtra chief minister claimed.
Chavan also said that the opposition was "expecting" the RSS-BJP to resort to polarisation sensing their "imminent defeat" in the polls.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said he "doubted" if the BJP was really serious about constructing the temple, alleging that the RSS wanted the issue to remain alive and use it to "fan sentiments of the people".
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"Now, the RSS' talk of staging protests is an effort to fan sentiments and attract more people towards the temple construction," Patil added.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said that the RSS, BJP and the Shiv Sena were raising the Ram temple issue "eyeing polls".
"Given the Modi government's failures, the BJP fears loss in the polls. Hence, the Sangh is toying with sentiments," he added.
He claimed that the BJP would be defeated in the 2019 general polls.
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