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Why is Congress being defensive & saying that Rahul Gandhi didn't say it (Congress is a Muslim party),he proudly sa… https://t.co/y0lWOhriU8 — ANI (@ANI) 1531737435000

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(With inputs from agencies)

NEW DELHI: Urdu daily Inquilab editor today stood by his story where Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had allegedly said that the Congress is a party for the Muslims."Why is Congress being defensive and saying that Rahul Gandhi didn't say it (Congress is a Muslim party), he proudly said it," said Mumtaz Alam Rizvieditor, according to an ANI report.Rizvi also claimed that even Congress's Nadim Javed, too, had vouched for the story. "Javed was present in. He has already clarified on record that there was nothing wrong in our story," Rizvi added.On July 11, Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Muslim intellectuals. On July 12, the Urdu newspaper Inquilab carried a story headlined 'Congress is a Muslim party'. The same day, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, however, tweeted, "This is absolute lies & shameful spin by the newspaper. The BJP using it to further its own agenda, yet again, exposes their desperate tactics to mislead the nation., this will not deter us to fight for India's founding principles & its democratic values".However, historian S Irfan Habib, a participant in the July 11 meeting, denied that the Congress president made any such reference."He (Rahul) didn't say that at all. I didn't hear it. Nobody will say that. BJP, a majoritarian party, will never say that. No party would ever say" Syed Irfan Habib, an Indian historian of science and a well-known intellectual, told IANS."...he (Rahul) spoke about the poor sections of society, which have been the strength of the Congress all these years," Habib added.He said Rahul agreed that the Congress "got weakened" after losing the support of the poorand that it needed to bring them back to the fold."What Congress party has to do, according to him (Rahul), is to win back those sections -- minorities and Dalits," he said."He spoke about the Muslims along with other sections. He said 'we have to take corrective measures' to bring these sections back to the party, be more accommodative. Nobody is talking about it," said Habib.Those who met Rahul for their feedback on various issues and for a discussion on "public policy" included M.S. Farooqui, Amir Mohammad, Syeda Hameed, Ilyas Malik, Rakhshanda Jalil, Junaid Rehman, Farah Naqvi and others.