MUMBAI: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar over his demand for creation of a trust for construction of a mosque in Ayodhya on the lines of a similar body for Ram temple.
Speaking to reporters here on the eve of the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislature, Fadnavis asked why Pawar wanted to build a mosque in the name of an invader like Babar.
"Babar (the first emperor of Mughal dynasty in Indian sub-continent) was an invader. Why on the earth did NCP chief Sharad Pawar want to erect a new mosque in the name of Babar? If Muslims want a place for prayer, they should have one but why in the name of Babar?" asked Fadnavis, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
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Speaking in Lucknow on February 20, Pawar demanded the Central government to form a trust for building a mosque in Ayodhya similar to the trust to oversee the construction of Ram temple.
"I also wonder why Pawar demanded a trust for a mosque when he knows that a Waqf has to be formed for the same," Fadnavis said.
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in November 2019 ruled unanimously in favor of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The court had said the whole disputed land spread over 2.7-acre will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will examine the construction of Ram temple at the place.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on February 5 the formation of 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra' trust which would oversee the construction of Ram Temple.