Accusing the United Progressive Alliance of not being serious in resolving the Ayodhya issue, main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party Friday said the government wound up the Ayodhya Cell in the Prime Minister's Office set up during the National Democratic Alliance regime.

"When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, he had constituted the Ayodhya Cell in the PMO to resolve the Ayodhya issue. But when the UPA came to power, the cell was wound up reflecting that a Congress-led government is not serious in resolving the matter," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Talcher, Orissa.

• On the road with the Yatra

He said the Ram Janmabhoomi issue is aimed at fostering social harmony and "Muslims should understand this and themselves come forward."

On the second day of his 35-day Bharat Suraksha Yatra, which started from Bhubaneshwar Thursday, Rajnath Singh branded the Congress and the Communists as "biggest communal forces" alleging that they were dividing the country on communal lines for the sake of votes.

• The BJP yatras

"What has BJP done that is communal and the Congress and the Communists that are secular?" he charged and asserted that the BJP-led NDA never gave reservation on the basis of caste or community.

Charging the Congress with following appeasement policy to garner Muslim votes, Rajnath Singh said the Constitution does not allow reservation on communal lines. "But Congress has earmarked quota for Muslims in jobs and education to get their votes," he said and demanded reservation for SC, ST and OBCs in minority institutions.

• Indo-US nuke tango

To a question on Hindu-Muslim ratio in the country, he said the demographic pattern was changing rapidly because of Bangladeshi infiltrators and religious conversions.

He demanded that the Bangladeshi infiltrators be identified and deported and conversions stopped.

Accusing the UPA government of failing on all fronts during its two years in office, he said rise in prices of essential commodities has seriously affected the common man.

He referred to a spurt in Naxalite and terrorist violence and held the Congress-led coalition solely responsible for it.

The BJP president said Naxalite violence had affected 220 districts and ultras wanted to have a 'Red Corridor' from
Nepal to Hyderabad and despite this the Centre is "not serious because of pressure from Left parties".

He said though Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was serious in tackling the Naxalite problem, he was not geting adequate assistance from the Centre.

"The government should rise above political considerations in certain important matters," he said.

Rajnath Singh said the country was on the verge of facing a crisis and pointed out that import of wheat for the first time in the last 10 years has become a serious issue as farmers would not get remunerative prices for their produce.

On the Indo-US nuclear deal, he said BJP was perturbed over reports about political hurdles in America for the recently concluded agreement.

If these reports were true, Prime Minster Manmohan Singh [Images] has much to explain to the nation on a matter of utmost importance to India's national security, he said.

He alleged that the government had hidden many facts pertaining to the deal from Parliament and people had right to know its details.

Rajnath Singh later addressed a public meeting at NTPC Kaniha where he explained the purpose of the gruelling yatra saying it was to make the people aware of the serious challenges before the country.

The cavalcade was stopped at several villages where people offered him garlands and bouquets amid shouts of 'Jai Sri Ram'.

Enthusiatic BJP workers followed his rath on their two-wheelers.

After a halt at Rourkela tonight, Rajnath Singh leaves for Chhatisgarh Saturday.