VHP criticizes Ansari, demands apology

Criticizing Vice President Hamid Ansari about discrimination against Muslims, the VHP on Tuesday asked him to apologize or resign and take to politics.

"The remarks by Ansari over the Muslim community is not of a person occupying the vice president's chair but of a Muslim leader," Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesperson Surendra Jain told IANS.

"With due respect to the vice president's post, the VHP condemns his irresponsible statement in strong words," he added.

Ansari on Monday said while inaugurating a meeting of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat that the state needed to correct the deprivation, exclusion and discrimination faced by Muslims.

"This needs to be done at the earliest and appropriate instruments developed for it," he added.

Jain said that Muslims, the country's largest religious minority, enjoyed more constitutional rights in India than they do in many Muslim countries.

"Even Hindus in our country, who are in a majority, don't enjoy such rights.

"What more does the vice president want for the community? He must clarify," the VHP leader said.

"If he doesn't answer these questions, then it is clear that he is doing low-level politics from the vice president's house.

"He must apologize for his remarks. If not, he should resign from his post and enter politics," Jain said.