Deoband is 'temple of terrorism', says Giriraj

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday reportedly termed the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom at Deoband as a ''temple of terrorism".

Deoband is located in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, about 500 kilometre from Lucknow.

''In Deoband, the child is taught to destroy mankind... It is not a temple of learning but a temple of terrorism,'' Singh, who is known for his foot in the mouth remarks, told reporters.

The minister, who visited a 'gurukul' (vedic schools) in the town, said that the children, who received education at such (gurukul) institutions, never thought about violence and ''served'' the humanity after graduating from the schools.

Singh also claimed that Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and IS head Al Baghdadi had received education at Deoband.

The minister also asked Muslims to ''cooperate'' in the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya and said that they should not create hurdles in the way of the temple.

Singh's remarks evoked a sharp criticism from Muslim clerics and Opposition parties.

Muslim scholar Matin Khan demanded action against Singh saying that only an ''insane'' person could speak in such a way about Darul Uloom, which had played a crucial role in the freedom of the country.

Samajwadi Party leaders also condemned the minister's remarks and said that Singh did not deserve to be in the Union cabinet even for a minute.

''Such a minister should be sacked immediately,'' a senior SP leader in Lucknow said.