Oldest litigant in Ayodhya dispute praises PM Modi

Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the Ayodhya title dispute, has described Narendra Modi as the best political leader the country had seen since independence. He has invited the PM to Ayodhya and said that he would welcome him with flowers.

“After independence, if there is one strong leader that this country has got, it is Modi,” he told reporters at his residence in his village in Faizabad district, a few kilometres from the disputed shrine in Ayodhya. “Today, there are a large number of Muslims who praise Modi. I also praise him from the depth of my heart, and I will continue to do so, come what may,” Ansari, in his 90s, said. “I appeal to all Muslims to support Modi,” said Ansari, who has been a party in the Ayodhya case since 1959. “Some people are opposing Modi because he has done commendable work within a short time. They are feeling uneasy because of his growing popularity,” he said.

“Modi has the backing of true and honest people. I am also his supporter. I am with him and will always remain with him,” Ansari asserted. In the past, too, Ansari has praised Modi for starting welfare schemes for the weavers, who are mostly from the Ansari community, in Varanasi. In contrast, Ansari has been lashing out at Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav charging him with betraying Muslims, and using them as a votebank.