Babri Masjid snatched from Muslims systematically: Asaduddin Owaisi
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday questioned the narrative surrounding the Ram Mandir's Pran Pratishtha (consecration) in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Speaking to the media in Karnataka, the Hyderabad MP claimed the Babri Masjid was systematically snatched from Indian Muslims who had prayed there for over 500 years. Owaisi also stated the Ram Mandir did not exist when the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the right-wing group that spearheaded the Ram Janambhoomi agitation, was formed.
Owaisi questions incidents related to Babri Masjid demolition
Owaisi questioned some "important incidents" in history that, according to him, led to the demolition of Babri Masjid. "The Muslims had offered namaz in [Babri Masjid] for 500 years. When the Congress's GB Pant was the [chief minister of Uttar Pradesh], idols were placed inside the masjid," he alleged. Owaisi claimed Ayodhya's collector at that time, KK Nair, closed the mosque and started worshipping there. He added Nair later became the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s predecessor Jan Sangh's first MP.
Ram Mandir didn't exist when VHP was formed: Owaisi
Owaisi claimed that in 1986, the locks of Babri Masjid were opened without heeding to the Muslims, and on December 6, 1992, the mosque was sacrificed by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. The AIMIM president said Ram Mandir didn't exist when the VHP was formed and claimed even Mahatma Gandhi never mentioned it. "Very systematically, Babri Masjid has been taken away from Indian Muslims," he said, questioning Pant's decision to place idols in the mosque and the 1986 event.
Watch: What AIMIM president exactly said
Owaisi slams AAP's decision to conduct Sunderkand Path, Hanuman Chalisa
Moreover, Owaisi criticized opposition parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for their stand on the Babri Masjid issue, accusing them of pleasing the majority community while ignoring minorities. He slammed the AAP for its decision to conduct Sunderkand Paath and Hanuman Chalisa in government schools of Delhi ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, calling it "competitive Hindutva." He described the AAP as "RSS ka chota recharge" and questioned the timing of its decision to hold the religious recitations.
Preparations underway for Pran Pratishtha ceremony
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Mandir on Monday. Several gifts, including the world's largest lock weighing 400kg and 1,265kg laddoo prasad, have arrived in Ayodhya as offerings to Ram Lalla. The week-long rituals, which began on Tuesday, will culminate with the consecration ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to preside over the ceremonial installation of Ram Lalla, and the temple will likely be open for darshan for the general public from Tuesday.
