Muslims of India are descendants of Ram: Giriraj Singh

Singh, however, also said that Indian Muslims are not "foreigners" and that all (people of India) have common ancestors.

Known for his controversial remarks, Union Minister Giriraj Singh has now said that Muslims of India are not descendants of Babur, but that of Hindu god Ram. During his Jodhpur stay, Singh made several comments which can send political temperature soaring.

Singh, however, also said that Indian Muslims are not "foreigners" and that all (people of India) have common ancestors.

"Bharat ke andar koi Musalman Babur ka vansaj nahi hai, koi Musalman videshi nahi hai. Hindustan ka Musalman Ram ka vansaj hai, hamare purvaj ek hain, Pooja padhti alag ho sakti hai (Indian Muslims are not descendants of Babur, Muslims are not foreigners. Indian Muslims are descendants of Ram, our ancestors are same. Rituals practiced could be different.)," reports quoted him as saying.

"Wo to Makka Madina jaayenge, hum kahan jaayenge? Kya Pakistan me Ram Mandir banega? Owaisi jaise log, jinke dil me Jinnah ka jinn pravesh kar gaya hai, desh ko todna chahte hain (They go to Mecca, where would we go? Will a Ram temple be built in Pakistan. People like Owaisi want to break our nation)," he added.

The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, who is no strangers to controversies, had in January said that Muslims are a threat to social harmony and development of the country.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Singh had asked Modi's critics to leave India and settle in Pakistan.

On February 3, he had said that Sunni Muslims, like Shias, would support building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, reported PTI. Speaking at the inauguration of the 25th Rashtriya Kavi Sammelan in Maharashtra's Thane, Singh said, "I'm hopeful Sunni Muslims will also extend their support for the cause."

OneIndia News