Remember what happened in Gujarat, BJP MLC tells AIMIM leader Pathan

Nagpur, February 22

Hitting out at AIMIM leader Waris Pathan over his ‘15 crore Muslims can be heavy on 100 crore’ remark, Maharashtra BJP legislator Girish Vyas has said he should remember what happened in Gujarat.

Vyas, who is an MLC and a BJP spokesperson, urged the Muslim community to boycott people like Pathan and “teach them a lesson”.

“The youths and patriots of this country and each worker of the BJP are ready to give a befitting reply to Waris Pathan in the same language he has used,” Vyas said while speaking to TV9 news channel on Friday.

“We are tolerant and patient, but this not does mean that we cannot deal with them. Remember Gujarat, the incidents happened in Kalupur. If they take that into account…I feel the Muslims there today do not dare to rise again,” he said.

Vyas was apparently referring to the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, in which over 1,000 people, mostly of the minority community, were killed.

“The Maharashtra Chief Minister (Uddhav Thackeray) should take action against Pathan for sedition and the Indian government should send him to Pakistan,” he added.

Vyas, who is from Nagpur, dared Pathan to come to his city. “We will make proper arrangement for you. Do you think we have worn bangles? We are ready to deal with you. But we feel that there should not be any disharmony in society,” he said.

“We request the Muslim community to boycott such people. The community should teach a lesson to those who are trying to create disharmony in society,” Vyas added.

While addressing an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act rally at Kalaburagi in Karnataka on February 16, Pathan had allegedly said, “We have to move together. We have to take Azadi (freedom), things that we don’t get by asking, we have to take it by force, remember it…(We may be) 15 crore, but are heavy on 100 (crore), remember it.” PTI