Following removal from BJP, Sabir Ali says he will file defamation case against Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

After BJP annulled the membership of Sabir Ali, the controversial JD(U) leader today said he would file a defamation case against party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and challenged him for a debate.

Claiming he had a much larger support base than Naqvi, Ali said he was ready to go to any village in the country -- even Naqvi's--to prove that more Muslims or people will stand behind him than the BJP leader. "I will file a defamation case against Naqvi. I am also ready to sit with him for a debate," Ali told PTI.  "I am ready to go to his (Naqvi's) village or even any village in the country. One would see how many people stand by him. I have people's support. He (Naqvi) is fearing loss of support," Ali said when asked why Naqvi was against him.

Naqvi had yesterday attacked Sabir Ali as "a friend of terrorist Yasin Bhatkal" and strongly opposed his entry into the party, terming it a "mistake" that needs to be rectified. 

BJP annulled Ali's membership in less than 24 hours of his induction in its fold following intense opposition from within, particularly from Naqvi, and RSS. 

BJP chief Rajnath Singh took the decision after taking note of the public comments made by some party leaders but asked them to raise matters concerning decisions within the party forum and not go public, following the open criticism by Naqvi and others of the decision to induct Ali.

Ali had earlier written to BJP general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, also incharge of party affairs in Bihar, that in view of the allegations levelled against him his membership be kept on hold.

Ali said he will discuss his future course of action with everybody and would not like to comment on it now. He also declined to comment when asked whether he would look for other party options.

The Janata Dal-United had expelled Ali, its Lok Sabha candidate from Sheohar after he praised Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. "Modi's policies (in Gujarat) are good and Modi's work for development is also laudable," Ali had told the media in Patna.

He said "small parties" - which he did not name - were trying to cheat Muslims in the name of secularism. "But Muslims will not get trapped in this game this time."