BJP MP Savitri Phule calls Jinnah 'great man', says he contributed to India's Independence

A controversy has broken out over a portrait of Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah in the Aligarh Muslim University.

Pic courtesy: ANI

Bahraich: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Savitri Bai Phule on Thursday said that Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a 'maha purush' (great man) who had contributed in country`s independence.

"Jinnah was a maha purush and will always remain so. He had contributed in country`s independence," she said as per news agency ANI.

Jinnah ek mahapurush the, desh ki aazadi ki ladai mein unko yogdaan tha. Vo mahapurush the, hain aur rahenge: Savitri Bai Phule, BJP MP pic.twitter.com/UrB8Ln0QeA — ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2018

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss issues concerning the premier academic institution, engulfed in controversy over a portrait of Jinnah on its premises.

Singh assured the VC of all help from the Central government in restoring normalcy in the university, PTI had quoted an official privy to the meeting as saying. Mansoor had later told reporters that the meeting was fixed long ago and had nothing to do with the current controversy.

"I have requested the home minister to send Central government officials for the recruitment of students in central services like the engineering service," he had said. Mansoor had added that the portrait of the Pakistan founder had been hanging in the AMU students' union office since 1938 and it was a non-issue.

BJP MP Satish Gautam had written a letter to the AMU VC objecting to the portrait, triggering a row that led to two youths being arrested in connection with incidents of violence and exams being postponed to May 12. 

(With PTI inputs)