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New Delhi: Congress MP Manickam Tagore has sharply criticised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for alleging that Jawaharlal Nehru intended to allocate government funds for the reconstruction of the Babri Masjid. Tagore insisted that the claim lacked any historical basis, pointing out that "there is zero archival or documentary evidence to support it." 

"Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claims Nehruji wanted to rebuild Babri Masjid with public funds and that Sardar Patel stopped him. This is a lie. There is zero archival or documentary evidence to support it. Nehruji explicitly opposed using government money for religious places -- including the reconstruction of Temple. He insisted it should be funded through public contributions, not the state," Tagore posted on X. 

Defence Minister @rajnathsingh claims Nehruji wanted to rebuild Babri Masjid with public funds and that Sardar Patel stopped him.

This is a lie.

There is zero archival or documentary evidence to support it.

Nehruji explicitly opposed using government money for religious… https://t.co/j4diuPTwHY

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) December 3, 2025

Tagore Accuses BJP of “Rewriting History” 

Tagore’s remarks came a day after Rajnath Singh addressed the ‘Sardar Sabha’ in Vadodara, held as part of a programme marking the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Congress MP accused the Defence Minister of attempting to “rewrite the past to divide the present.” 

Challenging the logic of Singh’s claim, he said, "If Nehruji refused public funds even for Somnath a symbol revered by millions why would he propose spending taxpayer money on Babri? The claim collapses under basic logic and historical record. Rajnath ji's statements aren't about history. They're about politics rewriting the past to divide the present. The BJP's strategy is simple: insult our founders, invent stories, fuel polarisation." 

Tagore further asserted, "We will not allow the legacy of Nehru or Patel to be distorted by Godse's followers. Truth matters. History matters. Rajnath ji's lies must be exposed." 

Responding to the criticism, Rajnath Singh had earlier said in Vadodara that Patel opposed the use of public money for the Babri Masjid, stating, "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was truly secular... At that time, he did not allow the Babri Masjid to be built with government money." 

Singh also referred to the Somnath Temple reconstruction, emphasising that it was funded entirely through public donations, noting, "the public had donated Rs 30 lakh there, a trust had been formed, and not even a single penny of government money was used."