Shahid Siddiqui accuses SP of shooting the messenger

A day after the Samajwadi Party disowned him for his interview of Narendra Modi, an agitated Shahid Siddiqui on Sunday accused the party of shooting the messenger.

Defending his interview, Siddiqui said he had asked Modi tough questions on his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots which no one had done till now.

"I asked questions which nobody asks to Modi. People are scared even to see him in his eyes but I asked him tough questions. So there is no question of my favouring anybody," he said.

In the interview, Modi had refused to apologise for the 2002 post-Godhra riots and instead said he would prefer to be hanged if found guilty.

"They have shot the messenger. They are suffering from guilt as they have inducted people like Kalyan Singh and Sakshi Maharaj, who were responsible for demolishing the Babri Mosque, in the party and still there are such elements there," he told PTI.

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Dubbing as a "white lie" SP claim that he was not its member, Siddiqui, a former Rajya Sabha SP MP, said he was reinducted by Mulayam Singh Yadav in the party fold in January this year as its spokesperson.

"They are telling white lies about my not being a party member. This year on January 6, Mulayam Singh had introduced me to the media as party spokesperson. Now, they are saying such things about me."

The SP had distanced itself from Siddiqui after the publication of his interview with the Gujarat Chief Minister for Urdu weekly 'Nai Duniya'. Siddiqui is the editor of the weekly.

SP leader Ramgopal Yadav had said, "Siddiqui is not a SP member and has nothing to do with the party" and asked the media not to project him as SP leader.

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Asked about his future course of action, Siddiqui said political outfits were "family affairs and have no respect for freedom of speech and that is why I will stay away from party politics and continue to write and speak for a secular India."

Siddiqui alleged that ever since the SP had come to power in Uttar Pradesh, it had done nothing for Muslims "and by portraying me as pro-Modi, they are trying to win back the support of the community" to strengthen its vote bank.

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