Opposition slams Rajnath Singh’s Nehru remarks on Babri Masjid funding

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks claiming Nehru wanted to fund Babri Masjid with public money drew sharp criticism from Congress, SP, TMC, and NCP leaders, who accused him and the BJP of twisting history and distracting from pressing national issues

New Delhi: Several opposition leaders on Wednesday slammed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks that the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds, and accused him and the ruling BJP of distorting historical facts.

Addressing a gathering on Tuesday at Sadhli village near Vadodara as part of a ‘Unity March’ to commemorate Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Singh said, “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to build the Babri Masjid (in Ayodhya) using public funds. If anyone opposed this proposal, it was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, born to a Gujarati mother.

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“He didn’t allow the Babri Masjid to be built using public funds”. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the remarks are aimed at distracting attention from real issues that need to be discussed.

“These are all distractions. Many other real issues need to be discussed. They create a new distraction every day so that we are unable to discuss the real issues of the people,” the Wayanad MP told media persons. Congress Lok Sabha MP from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari, said the Defence Minister should focus on strategic challenges “instead of twisting and turning history to suit his narrative”. Congress Lok Sabha MP from Saharanpur Imran Masood also questioned Singh’s claim.

“I don’t know why he is making such remarks. We only know of one historical document. If it concerns Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, they should have the document…,” Masood told reporters.

“Nobody will accept it just because he says so. Yes, there is one document in which Sardar Patel took action to ban the RSS… All of this was done by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. His roadmap is the very path on which the country is progressing today. He also fostered scientific thinking,” he said.

Other opposition parties also criticised the Defence Minister’s remarks. Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Azamgarh, Dharmendra Yadav, said Singh should focus on defence issues.

“Rajnath Singh is a very experienced leader and India’s defence minister, and he should focus on providing facilities and other conveniences to our armed forces and fighters… I believe the defence minister may not be fully aware of such matters. You know how the Bharatiya Janata Party presents historical facts, and I think the entire country understands this,” he said.

TMC MP Kirti Azad and NCP(SP)’s Fauzia Khan also spoke on similar lines. “Rajnath Singh is in a very responsible constitutional post serving as the Defence Minister. He is such a senior leader… it doesn’t suit him. He should either present evidence of what he is saying or apologise and resign. It is shameful…” Azad said.

Khan, meanwhile, said, “I feel the topic is condemnable. The money that should be used for the Masjid should be earned honestly; there is no such thing as government funding, so why is it being discussed?”

Congress Lok Sabha MP from Katihar, Tariq Anwar, accused the BJP leader of “digging up old issues”. “Whether it is Rajnath Singh, the Prime Minister, or the entire BJP and NDA government, their only job seems to be digging up old issues, reviving past controversies, and raking up history.

“They keep talking about Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, but Nehru is not alive today to respond. They deliberately pull such topics out of the pages of history, knowing well that the person they are accusing is no longer present to answer for himself,” he said.