Lucknow, May 12 :    Lucknow, May 12:  With attacks on Christian missionaries and burning of churches in Gujarat and the Staines murder in Orissa set to be key election issues for the Congress, the Uttar Pradesh government has drawn up short and medium-term plans to develop and beautify churches in the state. The plan includes positioning churches as places of tourist interest like European countries. Elements within the BJP are surprised at this and functionaries of the VHP and Bajrang Dal have expressed ?unhappiness? at these developments. Mirroring the BJP?s liberal face, ?Church chalo (Go to churches)? will be the new catchline, one that echoes Uttar Pradesh tourism?s ?UPchalo?. In a new brochure on places of tourist interest, there is a whole chapter on churches in the state. Eleven churches, including four cantonment churches, find mention in the list. The most prominent is the Sardhana Church, 19 km from Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh tourism development corporation has received Rs 22.8 lakh from the PWD department for building approach roads to the church. Funds are being sanctioned for building a tourist rest house. More money is being kept ready for restoration, if needed. The Sardhana church is believed to be the first church built in India and one of the oldest in this part of the world. In the late 18th century, the French adventurer, Walter Reinhardt, received Sardhana from Najaf Khan. After Reinhardt?s death, the principality went to his widow, who built the church in 1781. The move to make Uttar Pradesh tourism Christian-friendly is the brainchild of a hardcore Akhil Bharatiya Vishwa Parishad student activist and former youth BJP president of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma. He is now the vice-chairman of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. Sharma said: ?We have promoted the Buddhist circuit for travellers from the far East. We had neglected the churches of Uttar Pradesh. We enquired and found that many of the state?s churches were of interest to western travellers. There is a commercial angle to this decision.? He admits that the political angle to the decision ?cannot be missed?. ?Whenever we are criticised for allegedly attacking Christian missionaries, we can say that we are not against Christians or their monuments,? he added. The Congress is both amused and cynical at the BJP?s attention to churches. Kush Bhargava, the media coordinator of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, said: ?BJP?s new-found love for churches is surprising. These gimmicks will not work. Christians will not forget what happened in Gujarat. Sharma cannot fool everybody.? The Holy Trinity Church, the Jamuna Church, the All Saints Cathedral, the St. Joseph?s Roman Catholic Cathedral ? all in Allahabad ? the Christ Church in Lucknow and the All India Louis cathedral in Kanpur will receive the BJP?s ?sudden attention?. Christian priests, however, are sceptical. Father Alvin Moras, additional parish priest of the cathedral parish in Lucknow, said: ?It seems okay. But we are not sure of the real intention. There should be a well-informed church representative when tourists visit. That is mandatory.