Union Minister for Textiles and senior Bhartiya Janta Party leader, Giriraj Singh has stirred controversy with his recent statement that permitting Muslims to remain in India after partition was the country’s biggest mistake.
In a comment reported by the RSS-affiliated publication Panchjanya, Singh, the MP from Begusarai, stated, “The biggest mistake was allowing Muslims to stay here. If the country was partitioned along religious lines, why were Muslims permitted to remain? If they had been relocated, the current situation might have been different.”
"मुसलमानों को यहां रहने दिया गया, यह सबसे बड़ी गलती हुई।"
"जब देश का विभाजन धर्म के आधार पर हुआ था, फिर मुसलमानों को यहां क्यों रहने दिया गया ?"
"अगर उन्हें (मुसलमानों) यहां ना रहने दिया गया होता तो आज यह नौबत ही नहीं आती।"
: गिरिराज सिंह, केंद्रीय मंत्री pic.twitter.com/bAXeWTZxtA
— Panchjanya (@epanchjanya) July 17, 2024
He further claimed that if all Muslims had migrated to Pakistan, India would be a different nation today.
Singh added, “It is unfortunate that our ancestors did not send all Muslims to Pakistan in 1947 when the country was partitioned on religious grounds. If they had, such questions would not arise now.”
Singh’s comments have sparked a strong backlash from netizens. Songwriter Darab Farooqui responded, “Do your worst, Giriraj. I was born an Indian, and even if you kill me, I will die an Indian. Keep crying and seething.”