Muslims are not idol worshipers, they should not worry about Jinnah portrait: Ramdev

NALANDA: Noted yoga guru and Patanjali Ayurved founder Baba Ramdev has now joined the ongoing debate over the removal of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's portrait from the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking on the issue in Nalanda, Ramdev said, ''Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, cannot be an ideal for India's integrity and unity.''

Ab musalman toh chitron aur murtiyon mein vishwas nahi rakhte. Unko toh iss baare mein chinta hi nahi karni chahiye. Jinnah, Bharat ki akhandata aur ekta ke liye aadarsh toh ho nahi sakta, Pakistan ke liye shayad ho sakta hai: Baba Ramdev on controversy over Jinnah's photo. pic.twitter.com/Jp2hRBkjk4 — ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2018

Further reacting to the ongoing protests in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) over the removal of Jinnah's portrait, Ramdev said that the Muslims should not worry too much as they do not believe in idol worship.

"Muslims does not believe in idol worship. So, they should not worry about this issue. Jinnah cannot be an ideal for India`s integrity and unity, maybe he is for Pakistan," Ramdev said.

Reactions from Ramdev in the backdrop of protests over demands for removing the portrait of Pakistan's founder from the office of AMU Student Union.

The controversy over Jinnah erupted after the local Bharatiya Janata Party MP Satish Gautam questioned the portrait's presence in the AMU student union office.

Gautam even wrote a letter to the AMU V-C and sought an explanation in this regard.

Several members of the right-wing outfits have since protested, demanding the removal of Jinnah's portrait from the varsity campus.

Meanwhile, a large number of AMU students have also been agitating for the past few days, demanding action against the right-wing protesters, who entered the campus and demanded the removal of Jinnah's portrait from the student union's office.

The ruling BJP also hit out at those who opposed the call to remove Jinnah's portrait in AMU, saying those standing with Jinnah also stood for terrorist Afzal Guru. BJP spokesperson Sudanshu Trivedi said that those who are standing for Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah also stood for terrorists like Afzal Guru.

The Aligarh Muslim University deferred the varsity examinations in the wake of the ongoing controversy over a portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the campus. The exams have reportedly been postponed will May 12.

The AMU Vice-Chancellor issued a notice to the varsity students on Tuesday, saying that a section of media channels are responsible for spreading lies. 

Requesting the students to not fall for such information, VC Tariq Mansoor advised them to focus on the examinations.

Accusing a section of television channels, the university authority said, "As you all know, our beloved university is passing through a difficult phase, taking advantage of the present crisis, section of media especially some TV channels, armed with all kinds of half-truths, are constantly trying to create a very negative image of the university."

The statement further added, "Dear students, we should not fall into the trap of some forces, which are bent on destroying the image of our Alma Mater and playing with your bright future."

Meanwhile, another controversy related to Jinnah has now erupted. After the uproar over his portrait in the AMU, now objections have been raised by another Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to Jinnah House and Jinnah Hall in Mumbai.

Mumbai BJP MLA Prabhat Lodha has demanded that Jinnah House and Jinnah Hall should be converted to cultural centres and that Jinnah’s name must be removed from them. Jinnah House was home of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Mumbai and the hall was named after the Muslim League leader.

(With Agency inputs)