'Nation Jinnah founded is theocratic'

Bharatiya Janata Party accused Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the Partition and said that regardless of his views on secularism, the state of Pakistan that he founded is theocratic and non-secular.

Read about The Advani Crisis

"BJP reiterates that whatever may have been Jinnah's vision of Pakistan, the state that he founded is theocratic and non-secular; the very idea of Hindus and Muslims being two separate nations is repugnant to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP has always condemned the division of India on communal lines and continues to steadfastly reject the two-nation theory championed by Jinnah and endorsed by the British colonists. There can be no revisiting the reality that Jinnah led a communal agitation to achieve his goal of Pakistan, which devoured thousands of innocent people in its wake and dispossessed millions of their homes and livelihoods," the party said in a resolution that was unanimously adopted by the parliamentary board, office bearers of the party and the chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states, in a bid to end the impasse created by the resignation of L K Advani as party president.

Advani drove to the party headquarters minutes before the meeting and was followed by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, who had defended Advani.

The party sought to explain the circumstances under which Advani termed Mohammad Ali Jinnah as secular during his recent visit to Pakistan.

"BJP appreciates the Pakistan government's invitation to Advani to lay the foundation stone of the restoration of portion of Katasraj temple, revered by all Hindus of the Indian subcontinent," the resolution said.

"It was in this context that Advani, without describing Jinnah as secular, reminded the people of Pakistan of its founder's address to the country's constituent assembly in which he had urged full freedom of faith for all its citizens and no discrimination between its citizens on grounds of religion," M Venkaiah Naidu, vice-president of the party explained.

Vajpayee praised Advani for his leadership and Advani in turn expressed his gratitude to the party leadership and office bearers who stood by him through the crisis.

"I have decided to accede to your request and not to press for my resignation," Advani said amidst applause from those present at the meeting.