Ghulam Nabi Azad

Srinagar, April 12: Top Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s younger brother today announced his entry into the BJP with support to the Ram temple.

Ghulam Ali had joined the BJP some days ago allegedly after he was denied a Congress ticket, but the move went largely unnoticed.

Today, he stirred controversy at a news conference in Jammu with his comments on the Ayodhya dispute: “It was actually a Ram Mandir, which was demolished by Emperor Babar to construct the Muslim religious place.

“There was neither a mosque nor will it ever come up at the disputed site. There existed a Ram temple and it shall always remain there.”

Ali, a businessman dealing in timber, had asked for the Congress ticket for the Bhaderwah Assembly seat his brother gave up when he entered the Rajya Sabha. The bypoll is due with the general election.

But the Congress gave the ticket to Mohammad Sharif Niaz, who held the seat in the past and vacated it for Ghulam Nabi when he became chief minister.

“Islam says a disputed site cannot be used for namaaz. I want to ask Muslim scholars to swear on the Quran and tell the people what the Quran says about the disputed site,” Ali said today.

The BJP recruit described Babar as an invader who demolished the Ram temple by force.

“He (Babar) was neither a leader nor a scholar of Islam. He was an invader who demolished the temple to construct the mosque,” he said, before attacking another Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb.