With assembly elections in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh halfway through, Union home minister

told Times Now editor

Rahul Shivshankar

on Wednesday that the BJP should have given tickets to Muslims in the ongoing polls.

“We’ve given tickets to minorities in many other states... Talks must have happened here (in UP) as well... I was not there, this is based on what I have learnt. May be they (BJP parliamentary board) didn’t find any (winnable Muslim candidate). But I believe even they (Muslims) should get it,” Rajnath said.To a more specific question as to whether Muslim candidates should have been given tickets, Rajnath replied, “They should have been. Whoever deserves must get,” the home minister said, spelling out a position that’s unlikely to find great support within the party.Rajnath further said that perhaps the state committee could not find a winnable Muslim candidate but clearly saw this as a chink in BJP’s armour.“May be the state committee didn’t get anyone, but had there been (a Muslim candidate), it wouldn't have harmed us. We’ll take care and see we can build up minority candidates,” Rajnath told Times Now. Muslims are around 20% of the state’s population.BJP has consistently said that ticket distribution is done on the basis of merit and winnablity of the candidate, not their caste or religion.Rajnath also said Pakistani crackdown on terror would remain a sham until Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed was extradited to India and tried here.In his first reaction since Saeed’s house arrest by Pakistan authorities, he questioned the credibility of Islamabad’s actions on its home-grown terror groups.“This is not the first time he (Saeed) has been detained. The Pakistani government has done this in the past too. This is just an eye-wash,” the minister said.Replying to a specific question whether Saeed should be put behind bars or if Pakistan should send him to India to prove its sincere intentions, Singh said, “What could be better than that? Hafiz Saeed is the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. His trial can be held here too.”Following the US administration’s pressure, the Pakistan government had placed Saeed under house arrest two weeks ago. On Tuesday, 44 weapons issued to Saeed and other members of his organisations, were cancelled by officials citing security reason.