Mohammad Ali Jinnah like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru: UP BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya

FAIZABAD: Uttar Pradesh BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya once again praised Mohammad Ali Jinnah on Monday and compared him with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel.

Like Gandhi, Nehru and Patel, Jinnah had fought for freedom of India, Maurya said, adding the demand to remove Jinnah's portrait from Aligarh Muslim University's student union hall was unjust.

"It is not just to remove Jinnah's photo that was installed before Independence. There is also Jinnah's signature on the draft of Partition of the country along with those of Gandhi, Nehru and Patel," Maurya had told reporters in Ambedkarnagar district on Sunday night.

"If people raise fingers at 'mahapurush' (great personalities), who contributed to nation-building, then it's a matter of shame. Even Jinnah contributed towards nation-building before Partition," he had said.