New Delhi, Dec. 3 -- Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday heavily criticised Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for claiming that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to rebuild the Babri Masjid with public funds, saying 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.

Tagore's criticism comes a ...