Lucknow: Even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath out-rightly said that ‘Jinnah can’t be given respect in India’, Bahraich BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule seems to differ in her stand.
Member of Parliament Savitri Bai Phule called Mohammad Ali Jinnah a mahapurush or a great man, and said that he played a role in the freedom of the country. Her comments come weeks after UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya used to the same term to refer to Jinnah.
Speaking to media on Thursday night, Phule said, “Jinnah is a mahapurush and he had a role in the freedom of the country. He was a mahapurush and will always be one."
Earlier, Maurya had said, “If people raise fingers at mahapurush, who have contributed in nation-building, then it’s a matter of shame. Even Jinnah contributed towards nation-building before Partition."
The comments have come in the wake of Jinnah portrait row that has been raging in Aligarh Muslim University.
This is not the first time the Bahraich MP has raised her voice against the government. Some time ago, she had condemned the state and the Central government for the treatment of Dalits.
Last week, she called BJP leaders visit to Dalit houses for dinner an ‘insult’ to the people. Her comments came in the backdrop of a controversy over the recent visit to a Dalit home by a UP government minister belonging to her own party.
“These visits do not serve any purpose. When you go to a Dalit’s home, the idea is to realise how a Dalit lives. Instead, you eat shahi paneer, dal makhni, pulao and gulab jamuns and then share the photo on Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook," said Phule, referring to Minister Suresh Rana’s visit to a Dalit home.
Rana had landed uninvited at a Dalit family’s home in Aligarh's Lohagarh village with party supporters and had allegedly ordered the food and cutlery from outside. He has denied the allegations.
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