Hawzah News Agency - "Hindus are the most tolerant community in the world. I will appeal to all politicians: please don't make Hindus intolerant by talking about building a mosque on the outer periphery of the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya," Bharti told PTI in an interview.
The minister also invited Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to lay the foundation stone of the temple in Ayodhya with her, saying he would "atone for the sins" of his party by doing so.
She said when a temple cannot be built in the holy cities of Mecca, Medina or Vatican City, how can a mosque be built in Ayodhya.
She claimed that the Ayodhya issue is a land dispute and not a dispute of faith. She said that the land dispute can be resolved outside court.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and the Left parties should support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on this issue as it is of national interest, she said. She claimed that the Congress was trying to divide the country on the basis of faith.
Several BJP leaders have made statements about Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. BJP MP Rakesh Sinha recently said that he plans to bring a legislation for construction of Ram Mandir. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently said that he plans to build a huge statue of Ram in Ayodhya.