On Friday (April 16), BJP leader Suhail Pasha tendered his resignation from the party after a video showed him boasting about making a village ‘Pandit-free’. He is the husband of the Pradhan in Jeevangarh village and former District President of BJP Minority Morcha in Dehradun.
In a video shared by Pachhwadoon Khabar on Wednesday (April 14), Suhail Pasha was heard claiming that Jeevangarh village would be freed from the Pandits. “Jeevangarh was once called the hub of Pandits. And as of today, Jeevangarh is on the verge of being freed from the Pandits,” he boasted.
Suhail Pasha further warned that if Holi celebrations are conducted in the area, then, he would make the Muslims offer Namaz in the middle of Pitt Bazar. He cautioned that he would put up a signboard and tell Muslims to offer the Eid Namaz in the market. “We already have a mosque in place. We don’t have any such necessity to (offer prayers in the market) but we will do so to create chaos,” the former BJP leader added.
After his video went viral on social media, several organisations including Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Uttarakhand Pragati Manch etc. came forward to demand action against Suhail Pasha. They said that his comments against the Brahmin community hurt their religious sentiments.
Demonstrations were carried out the Herbertpur chowk in Dehradun and the effigy of Suhail Pasha was set on fire. The protestors said that Hindus would not tolerate such comments by a district-level leader. They warned about intensifying the protests if stringent action is not taken.
Suhail Pasha resigns from the party following anti-Hindu comments
In the aftermath of widespread criticism, BJP leader Suhail Pasha tendered his resignation from the party on Friday. In his resignation letter, he claimed that the viral video was maliciously edited to suggest that he made derogatory comments against a ‘particular section of the society.’ He alleged that his comments were directed against one influential family, who had occupied the gram panchayat of Dakhpathhar. Pasha said that he had referred to wiping out that family from power and not the Brahmin community.
While submitting his resignation letter, Suhail Pasha further claimed that it is a ‘conspiracy’ against him. He demanded a fair investigation into the matter and said that the ‘real’ culprits should be punished. In his defence, he emphasised that he made the party stronger in Muslim-dominated area and requested the BJP Chief of Uttarakhand to accept his resignation.
