Muslim prime minister if community backs Ram temple: Bal Thackeray

Joining issue with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark that a Muslim can become the prime minister provided he is the most capable person for it, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today said to qualify for the top job, the community will first have to support the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Rahul is not the owner of the country. He should ensure that Muslims follow a common civil code, family planning, support Ram temple at Ayodhya and Vande Mataram is made compulsory for them. Only then a Muslim can become the PM," Thackeray said in an editorial in Sena mouthiece Saamana.

"The way Muslims are being appeased, it is clear that India is no longer secular but an undeclared Islamic state," he said.

Asked how much time it will take for India to get its first Muslim prime minister, Gandhi had said during an interaction with students of the Aligarh Muslim University, "It is not about what religion or community you come from, it is what you bring to the table, what capability you have."

"Today, Manmohan Singh is not the prime minister of India because he is a Sikh but  because he is the most capable person to do the job," he had added.