Sabir Ali, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) leader who was expelled from the party last week for praising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, defended himself on Saturday and said he would quit politics if even a single allegation against him was proved.
Ali's comments came after BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stirred a debate in his party on Friday by expressing his dissent against the induction of the expelled JD-U leader in its ranks.
"Terrorist Bhatakal friend joins BJP...soon accepting Dawood..." Naqvi had posted on Twitter. He later deleted this tweet.
There have been allegations on social media sites that Yaseen Bhatkal, the co-founder of terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen, was arrested from Sabir Ali's house. Neither the police nor the home ministry have, however, given out any such information officially.
Ali, speaking to a new channel, said: "If a single evidence is proven against me, I will quit politics." The BJP could set up a committee to hold an inquiry to investigate the allegation levelled against himm he added.
Ali said he has written a letter to Naqvi denying the allegation levelled against him, and added that the BJP leader could also keep his BJP membership on hold.
There has been much dissent and division in the BJP over the induction of new members, and the allocation of party tickets to them to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Sri Ram Sene leader Pramod Muthalik, the instigator of the Mangalore pub attack in 2009, was inducted into the BJP, but the decision was reversed within five hours following protests from within the party.
Talking to a news channel, Naqvi said he "strongly protested" against the decision to induct Sabir Ali into the party.
"We are against terror and Naxalism, we must have zero tolerance against such people," the BJP leader said. "If we can kick out Muthalik because he is Hindu-vadi, we can correct this mistake... We are wellwishers of the party. How can we justify that a person who supported a terrorist is a member of the party?" he said.
Before his expulsion from the JD(U), Sabir Ali was the party's Lok Sabha candidate from Bihar's Sheohar. He joined the BJP on Friday, when he once again praised the prime ministerial candidate.
