Tejashwi pans BJP MLA’s call for denying Muslims voting rights, warns Shahnawaz Hussain
The Bihar Opposition leader says no mai ka lal (son of a mother) can take away Muslims’ rights, and questions Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s silence on the BJP MLA's remarks.
2 min read
Tejashwi suggested Hussain tell the same thing to his fellow party members. (Express file photo by Praveen Khanna)Reacting to Bihar BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur’s statement about turning Muslims into second-class citizens by denying them voting rights, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday told the Assembly that “no mai ka lal (son of a mother) can take away the voting rights” of Muslims, and expressed surprise at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s silence on the matter.
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“Let me first make it clear that no mai ka laal can take away voting rights of the country… When Nitish Kumar was with us, he used to warn against such elements,” he said.
The RJD leader later turned to Industry Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and said, “Shahnawaz bhai, your citizenship is at stake. The chief secretary (Amir Subhani) can lose his voting rights. I had expected the chief minister to condemn such a statement but am surprised at his silence.”
He also expressed surprise at the JD(U) chief’s not having asked his alliance partner to expel Thakur from the BJP.
Hussain then rose to speak. “Since my name has been mentioned, legislative provisions allow me to respond. The Indian Constitution gives the right of citizenship and does not take it away. There can be no debate on it,” said the BJP leader.
Tejashwi suggested Hussain tell the same thing to his fellow party members.
Thakur, the Bisfi MLA, is known for making controversial statements. He made the statement twice last week that Muslims’ voting rights should be taken away and that they should live like second-class citizens in India, “as they had been given” a separate country at the time of Partition in 1947. The state BJP has asked for his explanation.
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