Ram Mandir Did Not Exist: Owaisi Stokes Fresh Row Ahead of Pran Pratishtha

Kalaburagi, Karnataka: Ahead of the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya slated to take place on January 22, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has yet again sparked fresh row over the holy event.

Talking to reporters in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, the MP from Hyderabad brought back the Babri Masjid issue, alleging that Ram Mandir did not exist earlier.

“Muslims offered namaz in Babri Masjid for 500 years. When Congress' GB Pant was the CM of Uttar Pradesh, idols were placed inside the masjid... Nair was the collector of Ayodhya at that time. He shut the masjid and started worshipping over there... Ram Mandir did not exist when VHP was formed. Mahatma Gandhi never mentioned anything about Ram Mandir,” Owaisi alleged. 

Accusing that Babri Masjid was taken away from the Muslim community in India, Owaisi further noted, “Very systematically, Babri Masjid has been taken away from Indian Muslims. Had GB Pant removed those idols back then and had the Masjid not been demolished in 1992, we wouldn't have to see things how they are today.”

Targeting Delhi CM’s decision to hold Sunderkand Paath in the national capital, Owaisi said, “Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is also in the INDI alliance, says that we will organise Sunderkand Paath and Hanuman Chalisa every Tuesday... Nobody speaks anything about this because they are all busy targeting the votes of the majority community.”