Foreign invaders chose Ram temple for demolition because they knew that the soul of India resides there, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday.
Speaking at a felicitation event for donors of Shri Ram Janam Bhoomi Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan in Delhi, the Union Minister said that a "historical mistake" was corrected on December 6, 1992, with the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya.
"When foreign invaders like Babur came to India, why did they choose the Ram temple for demolition? Because they knew that the soul of the country resides in Ram temple. They constructed a controversial structure there, that was not a mosque. A place where prayers are not conducted is not a mosque. On December 6, 1992, a historical mistake ended," said Mr Javadekar.
Correction | #WATCH | When foreign invaders like Babur came to India, why did they choose Ram temple for demolition? Because they knew that the soul of the country resides in Ram temple... On Dec 6, 1992, a historical mistake ended: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar in Delhi pic.twitter.com/0mvj9zq0Qq
— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2021He recalled how he was part of ''ending the evidence of invaders' history", and said he was present when the ''historical mistake was corrected.''
"I was a witness to the history created on December 6, 1992. That time I was working for the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. I was in Ayodhya as a karsevak. Lakhs of karsevaks were there. The night before that, we slept in the premises and could see the three domes. The next day, the country saw how a historic mistake was corrected," Mr Javadekar said further.
The minister said that all countries erase the evidence of invaders, and added, "We also changed the names of the places here, that becomes part of a country's self-respect."
He also asked his audience to reach all households in the country and ask for donations for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
"If we are asking people for help in the construction of Ram Mandir, they are donating happily for it. We have to reach every hold. People are contributing Rs 10 to Rs 10 crore. Some will even contribute more," Mr Javadekar added further.