A major political controversy has erupted following a claim made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding a supposed opposition by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to a proposal by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to fund the Babri Masjid’s reconstruction using public funds.
The statement, made by Singh during a public address, has been swiftly and sharply rebutted by the Congress party, which has accused the minister of propagating “falsehoods” and “twisting and turning history.”
The row centres on the historical record contained in the diary of Maniben Patel, the daughter and private secretary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Rajnath Singh, while addressing a rally at Sadhli village in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, claimed that it was Sardar Patel who firmly opposed and ultimately prevented Nehru from using government money for the Babri Masjid issue.
“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was truly secular,” Singh stated. “When Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about spending government funds on the Babri Masjid issue, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel opposed it. At that time, he did not allow the Babri Masjid to be built with government money.”
The Defence Minister’s claim was immediately backed by other BJP leaders, who cited the book ‘Inside Story of Sardar Patel: The Diary of Maniben Patel, 1936-50’ (edited by Prabha Chopra) as the source.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi asserted that the book contains the entry where Nehru raised the question of the Babri mosque, but Patel clarified that no government money could be used for its construction, as opposed to the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple, which was being funded by public donations through a trust.
The Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi issue has a long and complex history dating back to the post-Independence era, with debates over the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple also involving the first Cabinet and its approach to state funding for religious institutions. Sardar Patel was the driving force behind the Somnath reconstruction but insisted it be done through public funds.
Ramesh took to social media to directly challenge the Defence Minister’s assertion, presenting what he claims is the original source material.
Ramesh posted an image of a Gujarati diary entry from Maniben Patel’s journal, found on pages 212-213 of the book ‘Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno’ by CA R. S. Patel ‘Aaresh’ (published by the Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Society, 2025).
“Here is Maniben’s original diary entry in Gujarati on pages 212-213 in the book Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno…” Ramesh posted on handle X. “There is a huge difference between what is contained in the original diary entry and what Rajnath Singh ji and his fellow historians are propagating,” he added.
Ramesh vehemently demanded a public retraction from the senior cabinet minister.
“The Defence Minister must apologise for the falsehoods he is spreading, simply in order to improve his relationship with the PM,” Ramesh asserted, linking the claim to current political motivations. Other Congress leaders have similarly dismissed the statement as a “lie” and an attempt to “divert attention” from contemporary issues.
The conflicting narratives centre on the interpretation of Maniben Patel’s meticulous diary, which spanned from 1936 until Sardar Patel’s death in 1950 and provides intimate, often revealing, details about the crucial early years of independent India.
While one camp cites excerpts regarding a conversation where Patel reportedly differentiated between the publicly-funded Somnath reconstruction and Nehru’s query about the Babri Masjid, Ramesh insists that consulting the original text in Gujarati reveals a “huge difference” from the narrative currently being propagated.
The dispute underscores a broader trend of heightened political contests over the legacies of India’s founding figures, particularly between the BJP and the Congress party.