New Delhi: The Opposition and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on February 21 clashed in the Lok Sabha over the controversial Bhojshala issue in Madhya Pradesh with each accusing the other of making attempts to inflame communal passions.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Prahladsingh Patel, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had declined the Centre's request to open the doors of the temple for prayers.

Vociferously protesting against this, Congress members Sunder Lal Tiwari and Laxman Singh said the matter was pending in courts and it was not in the hands of the state government.

G M Banatwala, Muslim League, said the issue was sought to be raked up with political motivations and an eye on the elections.

He said a wrong history was being projected about the Kamal Mollah Masjid and another Ayodhya-like dispute sought to be stirred up.

As the heated exchanges continued, Thavarchand Gehlot and Shivraj Singh Chauhan, both BJP, demanded that the ban on pooja at the temple imposed by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1997 should be lifted and the doors opened for devotees.

PTI