Owaisi taunts Congress on welcoming Ram Mandir; asks Party to donate sand for construction

Lashing out at Kamal Nath's remarks on the Ram Mandir, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday claimed that Congress had finally made its heart's desire public. In a video released earlier in the day, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath welcomed the construction of the Ram Mandir. Taking a further dig, Owaisi suggested that every Congress office in India should donate sand for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Kamal Nath remarked, "I welcome the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The people of the country were waiting for this in anticipation. The construction of Ram Mandir is taking place with the consent of every Indian. This is possible only in India."

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Owaisi opposes Ram Mandir construction

Ahead of Ram Mandir's Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya on August 5, Owaisi opined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall violate his constitutional oath if he attends the ceremony in an official capacity. To buttress his point, he pointed out that secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution. In an interview to a magazine, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP observed that the Babri Masjid stood in Ayodhya for over 400 years and was demolished by a criminal mob in 1992.

According to him, the relevance of Babri Masjid continues. The AIMIM chief cited that this matter pertained to his faith. He added that the Supreme Court's verdict would not have come had Babri Masjid not been demolished on December 6, 1992. 

Read: Raj Thackeray Rejects Cousin Uddhav's 'E-Bhoomi Pujan' Suggestion, Wants Delay In Function

PM Modi to attend the ceremony

The Prime Minister made the announcement pertaining to the formation of the Ram temple trust on the floor of the Lok Sabha on February 5. This move came nearly three months after the SC ruling on the Ayodhya land dispute. While Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was elected as the president of the trust, Nripendra Misra - the former Principal Secretary to PM Modi was chosen to head the Ram temple construction committee. 

The PM and UP CM Yogi Adityanath will attend the 'Bhoomi Pujan' ceremony on August 5. The guest list includes Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former BJP President LK Advani, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi. Recently, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar drew a link between the construction of the Ram Mandir and the fight against COVID-19. 

Read: 'Move Towards Casteless Society': Mayawati Bats For Inviting All Spiritual Leaders