By meeting Imam, Sonia Gandhi committed "blunder": Jethmalani

Image
Press Trust of India Madurai
Last Updated : Apr 05 2014 | 7:36 PM IST
Senior Supreme Court advocate Ram Jethmalani today said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had committed a "blunder" by meeting Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari.
Talking to reporters here, he said Congress spoke about secularism and seek support of Muslim clerics for votes. The party had been following vote bank politics, and it was a dangerous strategy, he said.
Jethmalani, who is here to campaign for MDMK candidate Vaiko in Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constitutency, sought the support of Tamil super star Rajinikanth to make Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.
"Rajinikanth is a popular man in Tamil Nadu. He should use his popularity to save the nation from the catastrophe being faced by the nation. Rajini should support Modi to become the Prime Minister", Jethmalani said.
Modi had great qualities of a leader. He had courage and conviction. He was not a communal man, Jethmalani said.
Modi had rehabilitated thousands of Muslims in Kutch after the earth quake. He felt that people of all religions should be
educated and it was in Gujarat that maximum number of Muslims received higher education and 28 Muslim organisations had supported him. He had secured 31 per cent of Muslim votes in Gujarat during the successive elections, Jethmalanai said.
Asked why he is not supporting AAP if he wanted to fight against corruption, Jethmalani said AAP leader Aravind Kejriwal required years to prove his mettle. He initially said the party would contest only in Delhi elections and after that Modi would be supported. It seemed they were interested in dividing anti-corruption votes, Jethmalani said.
Asked why appeared for Kani mozhi in the 2G case, he said as a lawyer he could not turn away any person who comes to him to file a case for defending.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 05 2014 | 7:36 PM IST

Next Story