DEHRADUN: Bhartiya Janta Party MLA from Jwalapur state assembly constituency in Haridwar, Suresh Rathor, said that 52% area of his constituency is in ‘Pakistan’ while the rest of 48% is where he practices his political career.
The legislator made the comment when he was at Dhanori village in Roorkee on Monday after the construction of a road was completed.
The MLA, in a video, is heard saying, “Only 48% is the area where I need to work, rest of it is totally Pakistan,”
Invoking the name of a Hindu deity, he added that by god’s grace, the road was completed and is now ready for use.
Activists and members of the minority community condemned the MLA’s comments.
The MLA replying to queries related to his address said, “My words are being twisted and taken out of context.”
Danish Khan, a businessman from Haldwani said, “The statement is against the secular spirit of our constitution. Targeting minorities is uncalled for. Indian Muslim is a cherished identity and is we are as much a patriot as anyone else in this country.”
Shekhar Pathak, Nainital based activist said, “Such remarks hurt national integration. We, as a nation are multi-religion, multicultural people. No one is above the constitution and country.”
Taking a stand against ‘intolerance’
Shekhar Pathak earlier announced that he would return his Padma Shri alleging growing ‘intolerance’ in the country