"Akhilesh Yadav should understand that Indian Muslims have nothing to do with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Our elders rejected the two-nation theory and chose India as their country," Owaisi said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday trained guns on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, for speaking of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the same breath.
“Samajwadi Party Chief (Akhilesh) yesterday compared Jinnah to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This is shameful. It’s Talibani mentality that believes in dividing,” Adityanath said during an event in Moradabad.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also alleged that Yadav made the remark “to appease a particular vote bank” and urged the Samajwadi Chief to issue an apology.
Apart from the Uttar Pradesh CM, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reacted to Yadav’s remark.
“Akhilesh Yadav should understand that Indian Muslims have nothing to do with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Our elders rejected the two-nation theory and chose India as their country,” Owaisi was quoted as saying by ANI.
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati alleged that there is a “collusion” between the SP and the BJP. In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati alleged that Yadav’s remarks on Jinnah and the BJP’s response to it are part of a well-thought-out strategy of the two parties to vitiate the atmosphere on Hindu-Muslim lines ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
“The politics of the SP and the BJP have been complementary to each other. Since the thinking of these two parties is casteist and communal, their existence has been based on each other. That is why when the SP is in power, the BJP becomes strong, whereas when the BSP is in power, the BJP becomes weak,” she added.
Yadav on Sunday had talked about Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah as leaders who fought for India’s independence.
“Sardar Patelji, the nation’s father Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah became barristers after studying at the same institute. They studied at the same place. They became barristers, got us independence. They did not step back from any kind of struggle,” the SP leader had said during an event in Hardoi.
Praising Patel on his 146th birth anniversary, the SP leader said: “Sardar Patel understood the ground and he made decisions accordingly. Hence, he is also known as the Iron Man. While those in power today remember Saradar Patel ji, they should also remember his struggle.”
Akhilesh had also referred to the ban imposed on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by Patel, the then Union home minister, following Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, saying only he could do it.
UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh also targeted Akhilesh, asking why he “praised Pakistan” founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In a tweet where he tagged a video clip of Akhilesh’s speech, Dev wrote, “On the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, why is Akhilesh Yadav praising Jinnah?”
Source: Read Full Article