Mosque in Ayodhya will be of same size as Babri Masjid; Will have hospital, library, museum: Trust
Lucknow: A mosque that will come up in Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case will be of the same size as Babri Masjid, said an office-bearer of the trust formed for its construction.
The five-acre complex in Ayodhya's Dhannipur village will also house a hospital, a library and a museum among others, the office-bearer said, adding that retired professor and noted food critic Pushpesh Pant will be consultant curator of the museum.
"The complex of the mosque, which will be built in Dhannipur, will also have facilities like a hospital, a museum at the Indo-Islamic Research Centre. The mosque will be on 15,000 square feet, while the rest of the land will have these facilities," Athar Hussain, the secretary and spokesperson of Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), told PTI on Saturday.
"Yesterday, noted food critic Pushpesh Pant gave his consent to curate the museum," Hussain said.
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has formed the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), a trust, for the construction of the mosque on the five-acre plot.
Hussain said Professor S M Akhtar of Jamia Millia Islamia will be the consultant architect of the project.
Akhtar, the Head of the Department of Architecture at Jamia Millia Islamia, told PTI earlier that the entire complex will "bring together the ethos of India and the spirit of Islam".
The Uttar Pradesh government allotted the five-acre plot in Ayodhya's Dhannipur village for the construction of the mosque on the directive of the Supreme Court.
After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.
The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony to begin the construction of the Ram temple on August 5.
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Kharge rules out Chief Minister change in Karnataka 'for now'
Kalaburgai (Karnataka) (PTI): AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said there was no Chief Minister change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
The Congress chief's statement comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in lines with a rumoured power-sharing agreement with CM Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly polls.
"You (media), he (Parameshwara) and people at the top say that it is better if I become (the chief minister). But, more than fate, as per my ideology and as per my service to the party so far, Sonia Gandhi takes decisions regarding me," he said in response to a question about Home Minister G Parameshwara's statement about Kharge becoming the CM.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "But, that question does not arise now. There is already a Chief Minister here. If Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and I, together, have to take any decision in the direction of a change, it will take some time. Let's wait and see."
Amid speculations about the leadership change in Karnataka, Parameshwara said on Wednesday that everyone in the ruling Congress party will welcome, if Kharge, a senior politician with a lot of experience, becomes the chief minister.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
To a question on JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy's statement that about 40 Congress MLAs having booked tickets to Delhi next month, amid the leadership tussle in the Congress, Kharge said, "I don't know, ask him for details."
