Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party leader KS Eshwarappa stoked a controversy after he asked Muslims to voluntarily vacate mosques allegedly built on demolished temple lands if they do not want to face repercussions.
Speaking at a Hindu workers' convention in Belagavi, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka said, "Be it today or tomorrow, once the court verdict is delivered on the disputed lands including the one in Mathura, we will proceed with construction of temples. It would be better if you (Muslims) would voluntarily vacate."
“If not, devotees of Lord Rama will demolish them, irrespective of the consequences,” he said.
He also said, "The repercussions, including how many will get killed and what will happen, we don't know."
Eshwarappa said the Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura and the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi were built on Hindu temples and once the courts deliver their verdicts, they will be demolished.
He also challenged anyone to build a single mosque in the place of a temple anywhere in the country. “It may have been possible in the past, but not now,” he said.
This is not the first time Eshwarappa has made such hate comments against the Muslim community.
Last year, he said 'not a single mosque' built after destroying a temple will be spared.
"Those mosques built after destroying our temples won’t be spared. Not a single such mosque will stand in this country. This is my personal opinion," news agency IANS quoted Eshwarappa as saying.
"I will pledge and say India will become a Hindu nation," Eshwarappa had said.
"On January 22, the whole world will look towards Ayodhya. The court proceedings on the matter of the Kashi Vishwanath temple are in favour of Hindus. The order for a survey has been granted for the Krishna temple in Mathura. Everything will happen one after the other," he added.
During the 2023 Karnataka state elections, Eshwarappa stirred controversy when he said that the BJP would not need a single Muslim vote to win the elections.