AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday strongly criticized the BJP and the RSS over the recent controversy involving the Ajmer Sharif dargah, saying the shrine has been there for the last 800 years and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi sends a “chaddar” there.

His remarks come as a court in Rajasthan has accepted a petition alleging that the dargah was constructed on the ruins of a Shiva temple.

“The dargah has been there for the last 800 years… Prime ministers, starting from Jawaharlal Nehru, have been sending ‘chaddar’ to the dargah. PM Modi too sends ‘chaddar’ there…,” Owaisi said.

He further slammed the BJP and its ideological mentor RSS, alleging all this was being done on their directions.

“Why have BJP-RSS spread this hatred regarding mosques and dargahs? Why are the lower courts not hearing the Places of Worship Act?… This way, where will the rule of law and democracy go? This is not in favour of the country. The governance of Modi and RSS is weakening the rule of law in the country. All this is being done on the directions of BJP-RSS,” he said.

The petition was filed by Vishnu Gupta, a leader of the right-wing Hindu Sena, who has demanded that the dargah be declared a Shiva temple and Hindus be allowed to worship there.

Following the plea, an Ajmer court issued notices to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), asking for their responses. The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.

Meanwhile, Union minister Giriraj Singh has defended the court’s decision, slamming Nehru and the Congress for the appeasement politics.

“In Ajmer, the court directed for a survey. If any Hindu has filed a plea and the court has ordered a survey, what is the problem? Mughals destroyed our temples… Congress only did appeasement until then… if Nehru had stopped this campaign of building mosques by destroying temples, today we wouldn’t be in a situation to go to court,” he remarked.

The latest controversy comes days after a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal triggered violent protests, leading to the deaths of five people allegedly in police firing.