By Faraz Ahmad, IANS
New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Tuesday criticised Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen and struck a jarring note on the issue indicating a deep divide in his party.
Speaking to IANS, Naqvi condemned the controversial author for her allegedly anti-Islam writings and did not favour India giving her political asylum.
He said that Nasreen be treated “the same way” as noted Indian painter M.F. Husain.
Without naming his party, Naqvi was alluding to the BJP which had threatened to lynch Husain for painting goddess Saraswati nude and lodged several criminal cases against him in Gujarat, forcing the painter to flee to London.
“This is my personal view. I feel that just as we have treated M.F. Husain for painting our goddesses nude, and were upset with (Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister) M. Karunanidhi for having spoken against Lord Rama, we cannot justify Taslima’s utterances against Islam,” Naqvi told IANS.
The BJP vice-president said: “We are totally opposed to fundamentalism and fanaticism. But we also cannot allow anyone to create a situation to provoke and fan fanaticism and fundamentalism.”
“The country is facing so many important issues like terrorism, poverty, farmers’ suicides. Giving asylum to her need not be our priority,” Naqvi said.
“She is not our problem. We should not make her our problem. It is for them (Bangladesh) to worry about what to do with her and we need not get too worked up about Taslima,” said the BJP vice-president.
Naqvi’s “personal views” are clearly at complete variance with the party views.
These came hours after BJP Parliamentary Party deputy leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra, backed noisily by his party, demanded an immediate statement from the government in the Lok Sabha on the whereabouts of Taslima.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was offering Nasreen a safe haven in his state. He challenged the Government of India that if it cannot provide protection to Taslima, it can send her to Gujarat.