Didn't praise Modi, fumes Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba Mufti

A statement made by leader of the opposition and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in Gujarat has stirred a storm in Srinagar.

A statement to highlight Modi's secular credentials turned into a full-blown controversy, involving a wide variety of people - from PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah to minorities panel chief Wajahat Habibullah.

On the concluding day of Modi's three-day fast in Ahmedabad, Swaraj said even People's Democratic Party leader Mufti, who had always been opposed to the BJP, praised Modi at a meeting of the National Integration Council in Delhi.

Swaraj while endorsing the 'Brand Modi' recounted the incident where Mufti had called Modi 'secular and muslim friendly'.

"Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the PDP, a party opposed to the BJP, said that a muslim friend of hers wanted to invest in Gujarat and was astonished to be quickly granted an appointment. And when he did meet Mr Modi, had a decision in half an hour."

Omar Abdullah

She added, "You can accuse an Advani or a Sushma of bias when they praise Modi. But this was Mehbooba Mufti," she said.

Reacting to the statement Mehbooba Mufti expressed shock at 'being misquoted' by the leader of opposition.

"Its very unfortunate that the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha has misquoted me. Saying that I endorsed Modi's secular credentials is completely baseless," Mufti told Hindustan Times.

"I have requested government of India to release the full text of my speech and I have also asked for a copy and will release it for people to see," she added.

Mufti however refused to comment on what she had said exactly. "I cant say what I said until people know the full context and contents of the speech," she added.

On Tuesday, Swaraj who started the storm, again stood by her word.

Swaraj tweeted in the afternoon, "I correctly quoted Ms Mehbooba Mufti in Ahmedabad yesterday... It was not a private conversation... I only quoted what she spoke in the presence of over a hundred people in the afternoon session of the NIC meeting on 10th September."

Mufti's statement, however got state chief minister Omar Abdullah on a tweeting spree.

Abdullah critised Mufti for denying her remarks and sparked a war of words.

"I'm not surprised Mehbooba praised Modi, she can praise who ever she likes; I am surprised she'd deny it knowing others heard her speech," Abdullah said on the micro-blogging site, Twitter.

Mehbooba on her part reacted to the tweets in the same language.

"All of us know Mr Abdullah's tweeting habit. Had I said something like this why would he have waited 15 days for Sushma Swaraj to make such a statement and not tweeted it immediately as he was present through out the meeting. This in itself is unbelievable," Mufti hit back.

"As far as Omar's tweet goes, he should recall that he was a minister at one point in time and he did not offer to resign in protest and his father was the only Muslim leader who stood by Narendra Modi at the time when Gujarat riots took place and its his father who should have actually been quoted as he is present at iftar parties given my Modi. He praises Modi all the time," Mufti said.

Abdullah was minister of state for external affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government when the riots took place.

Immediately after Mufti's statement came in a section of media Abdullah tweeted.

"Have never denied being a part of the NDA Ms Mufti but I've also said it was a mistake I regret & will never repeat nor let my party repeat."

A minute later, he tweeted again.

"At least I've had the guts to admit our mistake, why don't you have the guts to admit what everyone heard you say - your praise for Modi."

And four minutes he reminded Mufti.

"Lest I forget Ms. Mufti - the record in parliament will show how I voted on the resolution abt Gujarat riots even though I was a minister."

Later in the day National Confernce in a press statement 'lambasted' Mufti for praising Modi.

National Conference while reacting to Mehbooba Mufti's tribute to Narrendra Modi in her NIC speech said that the PDP leader has only exposed the real face of her party's political ideology.

Senior National Conference leader and Member of Parliament Sharif-ud-Din Shariq said in the statement "PDP has always indulged in double speak in a bid to hoodwink the people and her eloquent praise of Modi is only a testimony of their true colours and dubious machinations".

He said, "why should Mehbooba not praise Modi, after all Modi is responsible for the killing of thousands of people of a particular community in Gujarat and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as the Union home minister was responsible for the killing of thousands of Kashmiris."

Chairman of the Commission for Minorities and a National Integration Council member Habibullah, however, told HT: "I was sitting close to her (Mehbooba). I don't recall her saying any such thing. In any case, Omar (Abdullah) had left by the time she spoke."

Union home secretary RK Singh said the proceedings of the meeting will be circulated to all members.

"We will examine it... NIC proceedings are distributed to members every time and we will do this time also."

Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley also joined the fray, saying that Mufti narrated an incident in reference to somebody whose work got resolved in half an hour or so.

                                                       Omar's tweet slams Mehbooba

Modi's Fast Biggest Political Stunt of the Decade: Congress

Narendra Modi At Fast with Shri L. K. Advani

The three-day fast of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was the "biggest political stunt of the decade", Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said Tuesday.

"The rise in stature of such people is not a good sign," Dwivedi said a day after Modi ended his Sadbhavana fast in Ahmedabad.

He said no sensible person could say that Modi could stand against communalism.

He said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were under certain compulsion in matters relating to Gujarat.

"The person against whom there are complaints of injustice, he has gone on a fast," Dwivedi said.

Taking a dig at BJP leaders like L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, who had gone to Ahmedabad to be with Modi during his fast, Dwivedi said there was a struggle in the BJP for supremacy.

Answering a query about Modi being projected as the prime ministerial candidate, he said such leaders who do not accept an all-inclusive society should not be projected.

Skullcap refusal on dais of amity

A Muslim cleric yesterday walked up to Narendra Modi and offered him a skullcap but the Gujarat chief minister politely declined to wear it.

The BJP leader, who ended his three-day fast for communal harmony today, however, accepted a shawl from Maulvi Sayed Imam Shahi Saiyed.

“I thought he would graciously accept it (the cap). After all, he has been wearing various colourful turbans and caps offered to him,” the 61-year-old cleric, who had come with his son Shamsuddin, said later.

While some observers said the cleric had virtually put Modi’s commitment on communal harmony to test with his offer, others said the chief minister’s response betrayed his dilemma.

While the chief minister is trying to burnish his political brand appeal, he wouldn’t want to risk hardliners within the wider Sangh parivar, they said, or do anything that could dent his image as a Hindutva poster boy.

The BJP played down the incident, saying the party did not believe in appeasement. “Thousands of members of the minority community have come here, but nobody insisted that Narendra Modi put on a skullcap. This is a non-issue which is being turned into a big one by our opponents,” spokesperson Vijay Rupani said.

The maulvi, a chief of the Sufi community in Gujarat, however, expressed his disappointment. “I did not want to argue, it was pointless. But I am pained. He has been wearing caps and turbans of each community but declined a Muslim one which is not a sign of sadbhavna,” he said.

“Modi’s refusal to accept the cap is not an insult to me but an insult to Islam,” Saiyed told reporters today.

“I had come to Ahmedabad after hearing about the Sadbhavna fast and went to the stage to felicitate Modi. When I offered him the cap, he told me he would not wear it. He might have thought that wearing a skullcap would dent his image.”

Modi, however, let the maulvi drape the green shawl around his shoulders.

Shamsuddin said his father had bought the cap and shawl for Rs 90. “We were asked by a government official to attend the fast. We came all the way from Rustampura, 100km away from Ahmedabad, and had to go through a lot of security hassles before we were allowed to go to the dais to greet Modi.”

Minority leader Yusuf Shaikh said the cap episode was a non-issue, but was significant as it had exposed Modi’s “drama”.

I correctly quoted Mehbooba on Modi: Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Tuesday that she has "correctly quoted" People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti as praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which the Kashmiri politician has denied.

"I correctly quoted Ms. Mehbooba Mufti in Ahmedabad yesterday," Sushma Swaraj tweeted after Mufti's stout denial.

"I only quoted what she spoke in the presence of over a hundred people in the afternoon session of the NIC (National Integration Council) meeting on 10th September," she said.

"It was not a private conversation."

Sushma Swaraj said in Ahmedabad Monday: "Not just the BJP supporters, even rivals like the PDP's Mehbooba Mufti have praised Modi's work ethics at the recent National Integration Council (NIC) meeting. This makes us proud."

Mufti denied it, saying: "I have been misquoted saying I praised Modi. I request the government of India to release the text of my speech so that the record is set straight."

Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are engaged in a slug-fest since Swaraj in Ahmedabad revealed Mufti's praise for Modi.

Gujarat not against Muslims, says Sushma Swaraj

There is no discrimination in Gujarat against Muslims, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj said Monday.


‘Gujarat is a state where there is no discrimination against Muslims. No plan is made thinking whether Hindus will benefit or Muslims,’ she said on the sidelines of Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day fast.

Mehbooba denies Narendra Modi praise, calls Sushma Swaraj a 'liar'

Mehbooba Mufti

 Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday denied the claim that she had praised or supported Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at a recent National Integration Council meeting.

In her speech after Narendra Modi broke his 3-day 'Sadbhavana fast' at Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Sushma Swaraj had said that Mehbooba Mufti, at a recent meeting of National integration council in New Delhi had praised Modi.

Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha had further claimed that a friend of Mehbooba Mufti had sought a favour from the Gujarat chief minister which was granted immediately.

The BJP leader said: "A Muslim friend of hers wanted to invest in Gujarat and was astonished to be quickly granted an appointment, and that when he did meet Modi, had a decision in half an hour."

Mehbooba on Tuesday hit back and described Sushma's claim as baseless and untrue. "I have never praised Modi nor recommended any businessman to him for favour. It is all rubbish," she said.
Mehbooba Mufti has demanded that her NIC speech be made public. Union home secretary RK Singh said: "We will examine that demand....the proceedings of the NIC are distributed to the members every time and we will do it this time also."

Sushma Swaraj, in her response to Mehbooba's denial, wrote on her twitter page: "I correctly quoted Ms Mehbooba Mufti in Ahmedabad yesterday. It was not a private conversation. I only quoted what she spoke in the presence of over a hundred people in the afternoon session of the NIC meeting on 10th September."

Mehbooba's denial immediately evoked a strong reaction from Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. He slammed her in a tweet saying that he was not surprised that Mehbooba had praised Modi. "She can praise who ever she likes. But I am surprised she'd deny it knowing others heard her speech," the chief minister posted on his twitter page.

"Why can't she just admit what she said rather than deny the whole thing. So much more graceful to accept rather than call Ms. Swaraj a liar," he added.

India's opposition leader reaffirms commitment to "Look East" policy

Smt. Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj Visit to Singapore was a great success. Mrs Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition in India's Lower House of Parliament also known as Lok Sabha, reaffirmed her country's commitment to its "Look East" policy and strong engagement with Southeast Asia and ASEAN.

Mrs Swaraj said this during her meetings with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam on Friday.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that during the meetings, all parties reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations.

Singaporean Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong

MFA said they discussed the potential for Singapore companies to participate in urban development, planning and management projects in India's metros.  

They also exchanged views on developments in India and Singapore.

MFA said Mrs Swaraj expressed hope that Mr Lee and Mr Shanmugam would visit India in the near future.

During her four-day visit from September 13 to 16, Mrs Swaraj delivered a public lecture, "Building Bridges for Peace and Regional Cooperation: India and its East Asian Neighbours" at the Institute of South Asian Studies on Wednesday.

She also called on Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi on Thursday.