Newly-elected Samajwadi Party MP from Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad courted controversy by praising Mohammed Ali Jinnah saying that he was a freedom fighter and his contribution to the independence struggle was no less than Gandhi and Nehru.
The MP also condemned the BJP for what he called `communal politics’ in the name of removal of Jinnah portrait from the student’s union hall of Aligarh Muslim University.
On the other hand, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya maintained that Jinnah was an enemy of India.
Nishad alleged that the BJP was pursuing divisive politics at both levels –caste and religion. He said both Hindus and Muslims have contributed to the freedom struggle.
“If Bhagat Singh went to the gallows for India’s freedom then Ashfaqullah also laid down his life for the same cause. The BJP is stoking Hindu -Muslim discord only for narrow political gains and Samajwadi Party will never allow the nefarious designs to take shape,’’said he.
Escalating the ongoing controversy on Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday termed the former as an ‘enemy of the nation’.
“Jinnah was an enemy of the nation. No one in India has ever had or ever will have a place for an enemy in their hearts,” said Maurya.
The controversy surrounding Jinnah’s poster was triggered this week after BJP MP from Aligarh Satish Gautam wrote to Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, seeking explanation for Jnnah’s portrait finding a place in students’ union office.
Earlier, BJP leader and UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya’s lauded Jinnah saying that his contribution before partition could not be ignored.
Responding to Maurya’s remark, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “That is an internal party matter, we will deal with it later.”
Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also reacted to the controversy saying that the person who was behind India’s partition could not be accorded respect here.
The Chief Minister also sought a detailed report from Aligarh district administration on the issue and assured to look into the matter.