Bukkal Nawab
BJP MLC Bukkal Nawab had to cut short his speech at the party’s minority cell meet in Lucknow Thursday, after party workers hooted and protested when he made a comment on the Ayodhya land dispute. The meeting was also attended by senior BJP leaders including Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Addressing the state working committee of the party’s Alpsankhyak Morcha, Nawab said, “Jab masjid tayyar ho jayegi to usmein namaz padhna jayega kaun? Vivadit jagah par namaj padhna haram hai….hum masjid ki mukhalfat nahi kar rahe hain…hum jo sahi baat hain woh bata rahe hain…hum masjid ka virodh nahi kar rahe hain… (Even if a mosque is built on the disputed site, who will go there to offer namaz? Offering namaz at a disputed site is forbidden…I am not opposed to a masjid, I am saying what is right).”
His remark triggered hooting and protests, after which he said, “Hum masjid banwane ki baat kar rahe the…mandir banwane ki baat kar hi nahi rahe (I am speaking about construction of a mosque, not temple).”
Sources said senior leaders had to then intervene.
“I was trying to explain issues on which we are constantly targeted. I was trying to explain in other words that even if the demand for a mosque is fulfilled, any prayers offered at the disputed site would not serve any purpose. Anyone who does so will go to hell,” Nawab said later.
The MLC, who was earlier with the Samajwadi Party, had joined BJP after the 2017 Assembly elections. He was sent to the Upper House soon after.
Speaking to mediapersons after the event, he said, “There was no major protest. I was trying to explain something and was asked to speak about the organisation, so I continued with other topics…A temple will be built in Ayodhya or in Pakistan or Afghanistan? I am in favour of Ram temple in Ayodhya, not 100 per cent, but 1000 per cent.”
The event resumed after a brief interval. While giving his speech, Naqvi claimed that the dropout rate of Muslim girl students had gone down and there had been a rise in the percentage of minorities getting government jobs (4.9 per cent in 2014 to 9.8 per cent now).
BJP’s state organisation secretary Sunil Bansal, who was also present at the event, asked office-bearers to ensure strengthening of the minority wing and urged them to participate in the upcoming bike rallies across 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.