Cong, BJP trade barbs over Rahul's 'IUML completely secular' comment

Rahul Gandhis remark that IUML is a completely secular party triggered a political slugfest on Friday with the BJP alleging that the Keralabased party is guided by the same mindset which was behind the Muslim League and the Congress reminding the saffron party about its veteran leader L K Advanis praise for Mohammad Ali Jinnah during his 2005 Pakistan visit reported PTIAccording to PTI Gandhi during a media interaction at the National Press Club in Washington US was asked about his party being in alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League IUML in Kerala while talking about secularism to which he answered Muslim League is a completely secular party There is nothing nonsecular about the Muslim LeagueGandhis remark drew a sharp response from the BJP as its leaders alleged that the IUML is guided by the same mindset which was behind Jinnahs All India Muslim League Launching a scathing attack against Gandhi Union minister Anurag Thakur saidthese are the same people who had stayed back after partition They formed the Muslim League hereafter partition and became MPs They advocated for Sharia law and wanted separate seats reserved for Muslims They are the same people who are part of the same Muslim LeagueIt is Rahul Gandhi and the Congress that sees Hindu terrorism but feels Muslim League is secular In a counterattack the Congress said the party Gandhi referred to was different from the Muslim League for which the BJP has more love and whose leader Jinnah was hailed by AdvaniIn a tweet Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh saidSyama Prasad Mookerjee was in league with the Muslim League in the government in Bengal when Mahatma Gandhiji launched Quit India movement SPM was singularly responsible for the partition of Bengal He also tagged a tweet by Congress leader Amitabh Dubey who had slammed BJP IT department head Amit Malviya for his criticism of Gandhi saying Youre confusing the Keralabased IUML he is talking about with Jinnahs Muslim League that took Savarkars twonation theory to its logical conclusionThe same Muslim League with whom BJP founder SP Mookerjee and Hindu Mahasabha formed coalition governments in Bengal Sind NWFP NorthWest Frontier Province Dubey said Congress media department head Pawan Khera hit out at the BJP over its criticism and said the BJPRSS have more knowledge of Pakistans politics and Jinnahs Muslim League as they share a historical jugalbandiHe said the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had sent IUML leader E Ahamed to Geneva to represent India IUML established the largest Sanskrit University in Kerala The BJP also made an alliance with IUML for Nagpur Municipal Corporation The omniscient Vishwaguru of WhatsApp nursery please enrich your knowledge Khera claimed in a tweet in HindiMeanwhile the IUML welcomed Gandhis statement that the Keralabased party is completely secular saying the Congress leaders assertion came from his partys experience Rahul Gandhis statement that the Muslim League is a secular party is based on his partys experience We look at it with great responsibility The Muslim Leagues close relationship with Congress dates back to the days of Indira Gandhi IUML general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said in a Facebook postBJP national spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed a link between the regional party and Jinnahs outfit which spearheaded the partition stir among MuslimsFor the Congress parties such as AIMIM Muslim League and Indian Secular Front a West Bengal party formed by a Muslim cleric are secular and the PFI a banned radical Islamic organisation is a cultural body he said Mocking Gandhi the BJP leader said his claim raises a question mark on his wisdomReacting to the BJPs criticism Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said the party Gandhi referred to is IUML which is a registered political party in India Is a registered party in India not a secular party Does the Election Commission get ineligible parties registered I would like to remind the BJP that this is not the party with which Syama Prasad Mookerjee aligned to form the government in Bengal Vallabh said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters hereThat Muslim League of Jinnah is different with which you formed the government Rahul Gandhi has not talked about that Muslim League but the thing is that you have more love for that party therefore you think that the party being talked about is the one whose leader was Jinnah he said slamming the BJPVallabh said he would like to tell the BJP people that the former Congress chief was not talking about the Muslim League of Jinnah on whose mausoleum in Pakistan BJP cofounder Advani had hailed him and called him secularIn 2005 Advani visited Pakistan and praised the neighbouring countrys founder Jinnah triggering criticism from within his own party Hitting out at the BJP leaders for their criticism Vallabh saidso all those who today are talking about IUML should go and ask Advani ji he saidWith inputs from PTI