'Babur's reign was very short': Tahreek Muslim Shabban chief plans Babri memorial in Greater Hyderabad; BJP fumes

HYDERABAD: The president of Tahreek Muslim Shabban, Mushtaq Malik, announced plans to establish a Babri Masjid memorial in Greater Hyderabad, along with welfare institutions, following a public meeting on the mosque's 33rd demolition anniversary on December 7.

The announcement has sparked reactions from various political leaders, including BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, who criticized suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's separate initiative to lay the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, according to news agency ANI.




Malik explained the decision was made during a routine public meeting at a mosque in Hyderabad. "In view of the 33rd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, a routine public meeting was held at the mosque in Hyderabad. At that meeting, we decided that a memorial for the Babri Masjid would be built in Greater Hyderabad, and some welfare institutions would also be built within it. We will soon announce how it will be built and for how long," he said.

Malik addressed concerns about the mosque's name, dismissing them as political propaganda. "No one should be bothered by the name of Babur. There was no evidence that any revenue came from Babur's side to build the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. It's possible that some local person was named Babur, but the BJP and the RSS want to make Babur an issue. Babur's reign was very short," he stated.

He referenced historical texts to support his argument. "If we look at Tulsidas's Ramayana, it was written 60 years after the construction of the Babri Masjid. There's no mention in that Ramayana that the Ram Temple was demolished," he said.

Malik discussed the religious tolerance of subsequent Mughal rulers. "After Babur came Humayun's reign, and after that came Akbar's. There were rituals and prayers in Akbar's palace. Jodha Bai was in Akbar's palace. There were rituals, prayers, and havans... Tulsidas was also alive at that time. During Akbar's period, Tulsidas could have spoken to Akbar. Man Singh was the Chief of the Army at that time. He could have asked him... Such a thing doesn't appear in Tulsi Das's Ramayana," he explained.

He expressed concern about community division. "So, this is political propaganda to divide the country. The brotherhood that existed between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Dalits has been shattered by this, and the seeds of hatred have been sown," he said.

In a related development, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh strongly condemned suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's actions in Murshidabad. "The same 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," Chugh stated.

Kabir defended his actions, stating they were constitutional. "Anyone can build a temple, anyone can build a church; I will build a mosque. It is being said that we cannot build the Babri Masjid. It is not written anywhere. The Supreme Court gave a judgement which stated that the Hindu people had demolished the Babri Masjid. Considering the sentiments of Hindus, the decision was taken to build a temple here. Now we see someone laying the foundation stone for a Ram Temple in Sagardighi. But the Constitution allows us to build a mosque," he said.

Kabir revealed plans for a 300-crore budget project including a hospital, guesthouse, and meeting hall. He concluded with a declaration: "It is a promise of the Muslims: The Babri Masjid will be built, it will be built, it will be built."

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