BJP takes on Tarun Gogoi over comments on Muslims

Moradabad/ Lucknow, Sep.9 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday slammed Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi over his comments that Muslims bear more children due to illiteracy.

Interacting with reporters in Moradabad, BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said he had insulted the community and such statements were unacceptable.

"The policy is to keep them illiterate and rustic so that they could be exploited for political gains. I think he has insulted the community and such statements are unacceptable," Naqvi said.

Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra alleged that the Congress party wants to divide Hindus and Muslims.

"The Congress wants to adopt policy of Muslim appeasement. The Congress wants to create divide between Hindus and Muslims, that is why they have been using such language continuously so that divisive tendencies could be strengthened," Mishra said in Lucknow.

Muslim cleric Khalid Rashid also attacked the Congress party for the alleged failure to combat ethnic violence in the state that claimed over 90 lives and displaced 4,00,000 people.

"Assam chief minister must pay attention to what is the reason for continuous violence lasting for one-month. Is it illiteracy or literacy or it is an administrative failure?" Rashid said.

Earlier, in an interview to a private news channel, Gogoi had said the high illiteracy level among the Muslims was responsible for their growing population in the state. (ANI)