Jairam Ramesh hands Patel’s daughter’s diary to Rajnath Singh amid row over Nehru–Babri Masjid claim

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday handed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh the diary entries of Maniben Patel, daughter of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Ramesh gave the Gujarati edition of the diary to the minister at the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament as Singh stepped out of his car.

The move came after Rajnath Singh recently claimed in a speech in Gujarat that Jawaharlal Nehru had attempted to use public funds to build the Babri Masjid, and that Patel had stopped him. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi had also told reporters that Singh’s claim was based on Maniben Patel’s diary. Ramesh said the diary contains no such reference and insisted that the minister should read it.

Rajnath Singh responded that he does not know Gujarati, adding that he already has a copy of the English translation.

Jairam Ramesh had earlier shared excerpts from Maniben Patel’s diary on X, accusing Rajnath Singh of making a false allegation and demanding an apology. He also accused the minister of spreading untruths to strengthen his ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi had publicly criticised Rajnath Singh’s remarks, saying the ruling party was attempting not just to erase Nehru’s memory but also to undermine the foundational values of the country and malign him.