BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain lashes out at Hamid Ansari for veiled criticism of party

Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari's veiled criticism of the BJP regime in the country at an online event organised by a US body on Friday met with a stinging rebuttal from senior party leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

According to media reports, the former career diplomat, who served two consecutive terms as the vice-president, had expressed his reservations about ''new and imaginary practice of cultural nationalism'' that sought to present ''electoral majority in the guise of a religious majority and monopolised power''.

Addressing a press conference here, Hussain asserted that for Muslims of the country, ''there could be no better nation than India, no better leader than Narendra Modi and no better friend than the Hindus''.

The Bihar minister was of the view that Ansari should not have agreed to join the online event organised by Indian American Muslim Council ''which is known for anti-India propaganda'', ''Even as vice-president, Ansari had stirred controversies for which people of the country have not forgiven him,'' Hussain, who is among the few Muslim leaders of prominence in the BJP, said without elaborating. Ansari had also reportedly said that ''recent manifestations'' of the political atmosphere were ''chilling and reflect poorly on our claim to be governed by the rule of law''.

The online event, which was also attended by some US lawmakers, was titled ''Special Congressional Briefing on Protecting India's Pluralist Constitution'' and co-hosted by bodies like Amnesty International US, Genocide Watch and Hindus for Human Rights.

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