Hyderabad, July 12 -- Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali has refuted the criticism made by the leaders of the opposition parties over the demolition of mosque and temple in the Secretariat and described it as meaningless.

The Home Minister, in a media statement on Sunday, said that the leaders of opposition parties criticized the move even after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced that a new mosque and temple would be built as part of the new Secretariat. He said that the Chief Minister has clearly announced the new Secretariat would be inaugurated only after offering prayers in the new mosque and temple in its premises. Therefore, he said that there was no point in carrying out unnecessary propaganda.

Mahmood Ali said that th...