Human rights activist and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's former critic Shehla Rashid has grabbed considerable public attention after praising Modi over his government's decision to abrogate the Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Her latest comments on Modi during her interview on ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, in which she hailed him as a "selfless man" have become a talking point on social media, with one X (formerly Twitter) user saying, "A BJP ticket may be coming her way sometime soon". Shehla did not miss a chance to respond to this tweet.
During the podcast on Tuesday, the 35-year-old explained how she had a change of heart for Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Right now, we see a really well-intentioned administration. The prime minister - he doesn't care about criticism. He has taken so many radical decisions, even at the cost of his popularity. He doesn't care about criticism. He is a selfless man who works for the national interest. You look at the Home Minister - he has ensured peace in Kashmir, regardless of what anyone criticised at that time," she said.
'BJP ticket may be coming'
Shehla's statements were widely shared on social media. One user said, "I could never imagine hearing something like this from @Shehla_Rashid not even in my wildest dreams. A BJP ticket may be coming her way sometime soon."
However, the human rights activist responded saying that her comments were not about politics. "It's less about politics, more about the narratives that we further. Do I promote victimhood complex? Am I discouraging minorities from participating in national progress? India is a meritocracy & development is inclusive. We must equip ourselves with the right skills to compete."
On the Independence Day this year, Shehla said that the human rights condition in Kashmir improved under the Modi government after the abrogation of Article 370. "By a purely utilitarian calculus, the govt's clear stance has helped save lives overall. That's my angle," she wrote in an X post at the time. Her shift in stance surprised many, with some welcoming the change while others criticising her for not holding her ground.
