Proud to have been present when Babri was razed: Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said he felt proud and happy to have been present when the 'kar sevaks' brought down the Babri structure on December 6, 1992.

Responding to the media on the opposition's criticism that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uses the Ram temple consecration ceremony for its political benefits, Fadnavis said: "Whoever believes in Ram, that person can participate in the ongoing celebration of the Ram temple inauguration."

"Some people were never part of any movement associated with Ram temple. I participated in three 'kar seva' campaigns and feel proud and happy that I was there when the (Babri mosque) structure was brought down," he said.

"Some people were hiding when the kar seva was at its peak. What can I even say about it? I even spent some days in a central jail there," he said. Fadnavis also said that he felt happy that the Ayodhya Ram Temple inauguration would take place at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There will not be a single temple in the country that will not celebrate this event, he added.

He was speaking after the inauguration of Ram Rath (chariot), a miniature model of the Ayodhya Ram temple, that will visit different areas for the people to see. Along with Fadnavis, Bollywood director Rohit Shetty and state Minister for Rural Development Girish Mahajan were also present.

"After 500 years of struggle, the Ram temple is coming up in the country. We are in the process of removing the blot put on us by Babur. We are reinstating the faith of the country. We should forget our differences and chant the name of Ram. It is shallow to politicise the issue."