Rahul is ‘Babar bhakt’ & ‘kin of Khilji’: BJP attacks Gandhi scion over Babri

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader GVL Narasimha Rao on Wednesday accused Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi of colluding with Babri Masjid Action Committee convenor Zafaryab Jilani and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi to oppose construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Taking a dig at the Gandhi scion, the BJP national spokesperson said Rahul Gandhi is certainly a "Babar Bhakt" & a "Kin of Khilji".

“Rahul Gandhi has teamed up with Owaisis, Jilanis to oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya. Rahul Gandhi is certainly a "Babar Bhakt" & a "Kin of Khilji". Babar destroyed Ram temple & Khilji plundered Somnath. Nehru dynasty sided with both Islamic invaders. Travesty & Perversity of dynasty!” Rao tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi has teamed up with Owaisis, Jilanis to oppose Ram temple in Ayodhya. Rahul Gandhi is certainly a "Babar Bhakt" & a "Kin of Khilji". Babar destroyed Ram temple & Khilji plundered Somnath. Nehru dynasty sided with both Islamic invaders.Travesty & Perversity of dynasty! — GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) December 6, 2017

The BJP leader's controversial remark comes a day after Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, while arguing for the Sunni Waqf Board in the Babri Masjid case, told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that since the court's decision in the case would have "very serious ramifications", hearing be deferred till July 2019 by which time the general election would be over.

"Please fix the matter in July 2019 and we assure that we will not seek any adjournments... Justice should not only be done, it should seem to be done," Sibal had told the court.

The Supreme Court, however, refused to defer the case until after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The court deferred the case hearing till February 8, 2018.

The apex court bench also "prima facie" declined the forceful plea by a battery of senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan that the appeals be either referred to a five or seven judge bench, keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case and its ramifications on the country's secular fabric and polity.

The apex court said it would commence hearing on February 8, 2018, on a batch of petitions which challenged a 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit that divided the disputed Babri Masjid site between the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram deity, and the Sunni Waqf Board.

The Allahabad High Court had in 2010 ordered a three-way division of the disputed land which has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

The mosque dates back to 1528. It was built in Ayodhya by Mir Baqi – a commander of Mughal emperor Babur – from where it gets the name Babri Masjid. However, a report by the Archaeological Survey of India suggested the existence of a 10th-century temple at the site.