New Delhi, October 22: Giriraj Singh, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sparked another controversy on Sunday by saying that Muslims were the descendants of Lord Ram and not the Mughals, and hence must support the construction of Ram Mandir. According to a tweet by Times Now, Singh said the Muslims in the country are descendants of Lord Ram and not the Mughals. He added saying that there is a decline in the Hindu population in the country and wherever it has happened, the harmony has been affected, adding that Muslims are in favour of Ram Mandir.

Earlier on October 1, Singh had raked a similar controversy by appealing to Muslims to help in the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, claiming that they, too, were the "descendants of Lord Rama, and not Babur".  According to a report by ANI, Singh said if Muslims do not help in the construction of the Ram Temple, he will be angry.

"I will be anguished because Muslims too hail from the descendants of Lord Ram and not from Babur or his lineage", Singh had said.  He further said that if Hindus ran out of patience, they would take over Mathura, Ayodhya and Kashi. Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: 'Lord Ram Himself Will Set the Date For Temple Construction', Says UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

The Minister had stirred similar controversies in the past too for stating that Muslims should support the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. "I believe our side is stronger. We will respect the court's decision but I would say that the way our Shia brothers have extended support to build the Ram temple, other Muslim brothers should also do so, and let go of their obstinacy because we both are descendants of Hindus," he had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2018 10:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).