Poet suggests hospital on Ayodhya land, offers his own for mosque

Lucknow (IANS) : Well-known Urdu poet Munawwar Rana has sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his willingness to donate his ancestral 5.5-acre land next to river Sai in Rae Bareli, for construction of a grand mosque.

The poet has said that the five-acre land in Dhannipur village sanctioned by the government in lieu of Babri Masjid, should be used for building a hospital in the name of King Dashrath, the father of Lord Ram.

The 69-year-old poet, who had returned his Sahitya Akademi award for Urdu in 2015 over the 'intolerance' issue, has also asked the Prime Minister for a new Muslim Waqf Board for protection of Waqf properties.

Talking to reporters, Munawwar Rana said, "Land for the mosque was given in a far-off area in Dhannipur. It is better that instead of igniting more hate between Hindus and Muslims, the Raja Dashrath hospital should be built on the said land."

He further said, "In any case, mosques are not built on the government land or those usurped by force."

In his letter, Rana has said that Rae Bareli is a city of historical, cultural and religious importance.

"It is desirable then that the land in my son Tabrez Rana's name be given for construction of a grand mosque," he stated.

Rana was one of the first Muslims to welcome the Supreme Court's verdict on Ayodhya land dispute case and had then said he is confident that India will move forward towards peace and progress.

He had said, "I salute the verdict. The Babri Masjid had become a political issue but today this matter has come to an end and, I must say, in a very simple and honest way, I am confident that the country will move forward towards peace and progress now."