Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday claimed that any construction done in the name of the Mughal emperor Babar will face strong opposition and be dismantled.
"There is no issue with the construction of a mosque, but if someone builds it in the name of Babar, then we will not only oppose it, but we will also ensure it is swiftly dismantled," he told reporters here.
The BJP leader made the statement after suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid at Rejinagar in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Saturday.
On the 33rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, an elaborate programme started in Murshidabad with a long Quran recital amidst huge crowds coming from various districts carrying bricks and cement, symbolic of their support to build the mosque. “In 2024 I had said in Murshidabad’s Beldanga I will lay the foundation stone for a new Babri Masjid,” said Humayun Kabir.
BJP had strongly reacted to Kabir’s plan since the announcement. “Babur, who came to India aiming to wipe out the country's culture, was condemned by Guru Nanak Sahib as a tyrant. He turned the Ganga, Yamuna and Saryu rivers red with Hindu blood. India will never accept any monument or object in his name,” said BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh.
BJP criticises Samajwadi Party
Meanwhile, Maurya also sharply criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP), asserting that its president, Akhilesh Yadav, has lost his composure after experiencing a humiliating defeat in the Bihar elections.
He indirectly referenced Akhilesh by saying, "The SP chief's mental state has deteriorated following the party's crushing defeat in Bihar, and he is now indulging in unrealistic dreams."
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The Deputy Chief Minister emphasised that while the SP managed to secure a few seats in 2024, in the upcoming Assembly elections in 2027, the party "will not even be in a position to sit in the Opposition."
"The future of the Samajwadi Party already appears bleak," Maurya said.
Taking a swipe at the party's symbol, the Deputy Chief Minister remarked that after the Bihar election results, "red caps and 'jali-dari caps' (netted caps) have disappeared from Uttar Pradesh," adding that the SP is "on the verge of sunset."
During his visit to Jhansi, Maurya participated in a review meeting regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and later travelled to Datia to visit the Pitambara Peeth temple.
