Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Thursday lashed out at "Muslim intellectuals" opposing the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the now-abolished Article 35A—which prevented residents of other parts of the country from buying property in the northern state—was "against Islam".
Addressing a press conference in this north Bihar town, the headquarter of East Champaran district, Hussain alleged that the abrogated constitutional provision stripped a woman of rights over ancestral property in the event of she marrying a man from outside Jammu and Kashmir, which was "against the Sharia".
"There are many Muslim intellectuals who are opposing the Narendra Modi government's action in Jammu and Kashmir making it a Hindu versus Muslim issue. I want to pose a question to them do they think that Article 35A was in accordance with the Sharia law," the BJP national spokesman said.
"As per the Sharia law, a girl child cannot be deprived of her rights over the property she inherits from her parents. But Article 35 A made even that conditional. This was against Islam and the Sharia, besides, of course, being in violation of the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution. Muslim intellectuals should introspect on this issue," the former Union minister said.
Defending Union minister Amit Shah's assertion that the National Register for Citizens, which has so far been unrolled only in Assam, would be introduced throughout the country, Hussain asked "what problem do people have with that? Does an illegal immigrant in Assam cease to be one if he hides in Bihar?"
"No country in the world tolerates people crossing its borders illegally. We cannot be expected to allow illegal immigration in India," Hussain asserted.
Notably, BJP alliance partners like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) besides opposition parties are vehemently opposed to the NRC.
The BJP leader sought to downplay the recent spat between state-level leaders of his party and the JD(U) over the issue of projection of Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate in the assembly polls next year.
"The BJP is at present busy with preparation for assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand and our chief ministers in the respective states are the party's face. Bihar assembly polls are far away. The party high command has its hands full and cannot divert its attention towards petty squabbles," Hussain said.
The JD(U) had, recently, come up with slogans which carried a subtle hint that it would cede no ground to the BJP in the assembly polls, notwithstanding the saffron party expanding its footprints in Bihar under the aggressive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
A couple of BJP legislators had, subsequently, expressed the opinion that Kumar who has been the Chief Minister since 2005 should not throw his hat in the ring for another term and pass on the mantle to the saffron party.
Hussain also exulted over the upcoming US visit of Prime Minister Modi, who is expected to address a public gathering along with President Donald Trump.
"This is the first time when an American president will share the stage on his soil with an Indian PM. It shows the enhanced international clout of India under Modi. We must be proud of it," he added.
