Hitting out at Najma Heptulla for deserting the party, Congress leader Saif-ud-din Soz accused her of joining the BJP for ‘‘personal aggrandisement’’. Soz, who was working in UP during the elections apart from J-K said, ‘‘People like Heptulla, Imam Bukhari or Arif Khan have no standing in the (Muslim) community.’’Calling it ‘‘political hara-kiri’’, Soz said Heptulla’s case is worse than the other two. ‘‘Her political career, including her position in Rajya Sabha and International Parliamentary Committee were courtesy the Congress, which she deserted for personal aggrandisement.’’Denying that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi ever slighted her in any way, he said, ‘‘It was Heptulla’s miscalculation. She did not expect the Congress to return to power.’’ What, Soz said, was equally appalling was her refusal to condemn the Gujarat riots. ‘‘We are aghast at the extent she is going to smoothen her assimilation with the communal forces.’’
