Shahjahanpur, Mar 13: Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Maneka Gandhi said that claims of Muslims moving away from the BJP are ''baseless.'' Addressing the BJP workers at a programme here today, Gandhi stressed that some of the office-bearers in BJP were Muslims and everyday, a large number of people from the community were joining the party.

She said, ''I myself am a BJP leader and a lot of Muslims are my supporters.''

''I have helped about 27,000 physically challeneged persons, out of which 24,000 have been Muslims, therefore talking of distances between the BJP and the Muslims had no logic,'' she added. The BJP leader said she was not talking about winning election on the basis of caste and religion, as a leader taking support of such means could not bring development in his area.

Gandhi said by leaving a ''small waterbody like the Shakti Dal'' she had joined a ''large ocean of BJP'' and now there would be no scarcity of water for irrigation in the Pilibhit district of UP, the reason she represents as a MP.

Bureau Report