I favour having Ram temple at same spot in Ayodhya: Virbhadra Singh

In what may embarrass the Congress party, its veteran leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said he favours the construction of a Ram temple at the same spot where the Babri mosque stood in Ayodhya.

Talking to PTI at his residence Holly Lodge here, the veteran Congress leader also said, "Islam came to India later. The mosque was built after demolishing the temple in Ayodhya."
Sitting by his side, the Congress Legislative Party leader, Mukesh Agnihotri said, "The BJP lacks the willpower for building the temple."
Claiming a "sure victory" for the Congress on Kangra and Shimla (SC) Lok Sabha seats out of the total four in the state, Singh said, "I will start campaigning in the state after attending the general house meeting (the party workers meeting) in Kangra on April 15."
Responding to a query on former Union telecom minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma, who is a minister in Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in the state, Singh said, "Sharma will join the Congress sooner of later."
Responding to a question on the initial talks on fielding one of his family members from Mandi, he said, "Neither I nor any of my family members applied for the ticket."
Replying to a question on his MLA son Vikramaditya Singh's recent Facebook post expressing apprehensions of raids by the CBI and Income Tax Department at their residence like the IT raids at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's close aides, the former CM said, "My life is open to all and the property I own is my ancestral property."
On poll campaigning by the top Congress leaders in the state, he said, "Party president Rahul Gandhi has already addressed a public meeting in Kangra a few weeks ago. He will definitely address more election rallies in Himachal in May."
On a question on his "appreciation" for the present state government's work, he said, "I have never appreciated the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government's work in the state. The chief minister and other BJP leaders are wrongly quoting me as appreciating his government in their rallies."