Nehru planned Babri Masjid with public funds, Patel stopped him: Rajnath Singh

On this broadcast, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh makes a controversial claim that India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, intended to use public funds to build the Babri Masjid. Speaking at an event marking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 150th birth anniversary, Singh asserts that it was Patel who 'thwarted Nehru's Babri plan' and ensured government money was not used. The programme features India Today's Aishwarya Paliwal providing context on the political row. BJP Spokesperson CR Kesavan also joins the discussion on Dr Rajendra Prasad's birth anniversary, alleging that the Congress party has historically held a 'Hindu Virodi mindset'. Kesavan cites the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple, claiming Nehru opposed it and that the government blacked out President Rajendra Prasad's speech at the inauguration. The report highlights the BJP's intensified attacks on the Congress regarding historical narratives and secularism.