Samajwadi Party MP Praveen Nishad

GORAKHPUR: Samajwadi Party MP from Gorakhpur , Pravin Nishad, waded into the Jinnah controversy on Friday when he said the former Pakistani Prime Minister’s contribution to the Indian freedom struggle was no less than that of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru .

“BJP is playing a dirty game over Jinnah’s name, which is highly condemnable. Nehru and Gandhi contributed to the nation’s freedom but it can’t be denied that Jinnah contributed equally to our independence,” Nishad told reporters in Gorakhpur on Friday.

“Both Hindus and Muslims contributed equally to India’s freedom but BJP wants to trigger communal riots for political gains. It is trying to divide the country ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But we won’t let it play the dirty game. India belongs to all Indians and we won’t let anyone pose as a threat to India’s unity,” he said.

“We are citizens of this country. Our Muslim brothers are also citizens of this nation. When we take the name of a martyr like Bhagat Singh , we also take the names of Ashfaqullah khan and Veer Abdul Hameed who offered their lives for the country. But BJP wants people to forget their names.”

