After AP and special status Venkaiah Naidu the Union Minister shifted to Zakir Naik.Terming as “totally absurd” the allegations levelled by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik against the government, Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday accused him of taking shelter under religion and wondered if he is the “boss” of all Indian Muslims.
“Is Zakir Naik the boss of all Indian Muslims? What nonsense he is talking. He has to answer the criticism about himself. What is that Muslims have got to do with him?” the Information and Broadcasting Minister said in Hyderabad.
In a four-page ‘open letter’ released in Mumbai on Saturday, Naik had asked the government what exactly he had done to earn the tag of “Dr Terror” and sought “logical answers” to charges levelled against him.
Naidu termed as “a totally absurd charge” the allegations by the Islamic televangelist that it is not just an attack on him, but an attack against Indian Muslims.
“He does something wrong…and then government wants to take some action, if at all and you try to take shelter under religion,” the Minister said.
Taking strong exception to Naik’s allegations, the senior BJP leader said, “This is the way..the new technique. People commit crimes or commit mistakes and then they try to take cover under religion or caste, or the region or the language so that they get some support for the mistakes they have committed.”
