Vadodara, Dec 02: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has alleged that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted to build the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya using government funds, but his proposal was thwarted by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Singh made the remarks while addressing a ‘Unity March’ in Gujarat to commemorate Patel’s 150th birth anniversary.
Singh described Patel as a leader who embodied “true secularism” and never indulged in appeasement politics. He said Patel firmly opposed Nehru’s idea, insisting that public money should not be used for religious structures. “Sardar Patel did not allow the Babri Masjid to be built with government money,” Singh stated.
The Defence Minister contrasted the Babri Masjid issue with the restoration of the Somnath Temple, noting that the temple’s reconstruction was funded entirely through public donations amounting to Rs. 30 lakh, with a trust established to oversee the work. “Not a single penny of government money was spent on Somnath,” he emphasized.
Singh further pointed out that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, inaugurated earlier this year, was also built entirely with contributions from the people of India, underscoring what he called “real secularism.”
He also claimed that Nehru had suggested that funds collected by citizens for building a memorial to Patel after his death be diverted for constructing wells and roads, but Patel’s legacy was preserved despite such proposals.
Rajnath Singh hailed Patel as a liberal statesman who could have become Prime Minister but never hankered for power. He said Patel’s vision and courage remain a guiding light for political leaders even today.
