A BJP candidate in Madhya Pradesh has sensationally said that India would have avoided the creation of Pakistan had ‘we agreed to make Md Ali Jinnah, a learned man, our prime minister.’
BJP’s Guman Singh Damor, who is contesting from Ratlam-Jhabua parliamentary seat in Madhya Pradesh, said that the Congress and Jawaharlal Nehru were responsible for India’s partition in 1947.
“If Jawaharlal Nehru did not insist, this country wouldn’t have been divided into two pieces. Mohammed Ali Jinnah was a learned man and an advocate. Had we taken a decision then that our prime minister will be Mohammed Ali Jinnah, then this country wouldn’t have been divided. If anybody is responsible for this country’s partition, then it is the Congress party,” Damor was quoted as saying.
#WATCH Gumansingh Damor, BJP candidate from Ratlam-Jhabua LS seat: Azadi ke samay agar Nehru zidd nahi karte, to is desh ke 2 tukde nahi hote. Mohd Jinnah, ek advocate, ek vidwan vyakti, agar us waqt decision liya hota ki hamara PM Md. Jinnah banega, to is desh ke tukde nahi hote pic.twitter.com/w9mRk9K9ju
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2019
The BJP had won Ratlam-Jhabua seat by a margin of over one lakh vote in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. However, the party suffered a humiliating defeat here in 2015, when the death of its MP, Dileep Singh Bhuria, had necessitated a by-election here. In the by-election, held in November 2015, the Congress’ Kantilal Bhuria had defeated the BJP candidate by nearly one lakh vote.
Damor’s statement evoked angry reactions from netizens, who took potshots at the BJP for its hypocrisy on the issue of nationalism.
From "Agar Sardar Patel India ke Pehle PM hote" to "Agar Jinnah india ka Pehla PM hota" we have grown up ??
— Chowkidar Nirav Modi (@niiravmodi) May 11, 2019
Real tukde tukde gang. Anti national. Go to Pakistan.
— Siddharth Patni (@aageSeLeftLelo) May 11, 2019
Hadh nai bakloli karne ki is chutiye ke, Nehru ko galat saabit karne ye jinnah ka support karraha hai, laanat hai aise bjp neta pe
— Read my bio-Angry young man (@khr6655) May 11, 2019
Ratlam-Jhabua will go to polls on 19 May in the last and concluding phase of this year’s Lok Sabha polls. The counting is scheduled for 23 May.