Aamir Raza quits Delhi BJP over Narendra Modi
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi state vice-president and Padmashree awardee Aamir Raza Husain told a television that there was trust deficit among Muslims on Narendra Modi, he resigned from his post. HT reports.
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi state vice-president and Padmashree awardee Aamir Raza Husain told a television that there was trust deficit among Muslims on Narendra Modi, he resigned from his post.
In a letter to Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel, Husain said he should not have made comments that could cause hurt to a senior leader of the party holding an important post in the organisation.
"I did not want to cause any embarrassment to senior leaders and my friends in the party. So I resigned from the post," Husain told Hindustan Times.
A BJP statement said Goel had accepted his resignation.
Husain's resignation came just a day after all the office bearers of BJP's minority cell in north east district quit the party and joined the Congress. Interestingly, Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel had recently launched a campaign to win over the minorities, especially Muslims, in Delhi.
He, however, made it clear that he was still a member of the BJP.
"I was asked on a television show if the Muslims were going to vote for Narendra Modi or was there any trust deficit among them over Modi. I said yes there was trust deficit and even if the memory of 2002 Gujarat riots was dimming, after his recent remarks (referring to ‘puppy' statement) the Muslims were not going to stomach Narendra Modi," Husain said.
"He (Modi) is a leader of the party but he is not my leader."
Husain had also told the news channel that the liberal Muslims would prefer senior party BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani as the party's prime ministerial candidate.
"He (Advani) would gather large amount of liberal and minority votes. Because of Modi, we are deprived of a decent non-Congress option. Declaring Modi as PM candidate would only help the Congress," Husain said.
While Goel could not be contacted, a statement from the BJP said: "his (Husain's) intention was not to cause anguish to any leader and he has tendered his resignation from the post."
Husain is a renowned theatre actor and director and is known for The Fifty Day War, based on the Kargil War and The Legend of Ram, on the epic Ramayana.