Union Minister Anupriya Patel on Monday said her party, Apna Dal (S), is ideologically different from ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She also dissociated her party from "Hindutva and all those issues", adding that Muslim candidates are not untouchable for her party. Her comments come three days ahead of the first round of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections beginning on February 10.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Patel said, "Yes we are ideologically different from the BJP. People are trying to ask me questions on Hindutva and all those issues, I dissociate myself from all those issues and my party doesn't do religious politics. We stand for social justice. That's our ideology," Patel told PTI.
"We have always worked for the marginalised sections of society, whether on the streets or in parliament. And this is our philosophy and our founding principles and we only stick to it," she added.
The Apna Dal, which has been BJP's ally in the last three elections in Uttar Pradesh--the 2014 and 2019 general elections and the 2017 assembly polls -- has announced its first Muslim candidate this time.
Haider Ali, the grandson of Congress veteran Begum Noor Bano, was the first candidate announced by the Apna Dal (S). He is contesting against senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam Khan from Suar.
"I don't know why everybody is looking at a candidate from the perspective of religion. He is a promising youth who is well educated," Patel said. Her party doesn't look at candidates from the prism of religion, she added in response to a question on there not being a single Muslim candidate from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last time. Ali is the first Muslim candidate for the Apna Dal and also for the NDA.
Meanwhile, Apna Dal has so far announced 13 candidates and is expected to announce candidates for five more seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly. In the last assembly polls, the party contested on 11 seats and won nine. The Apna Dal (S) has two MPs in the Lok Sabha.
(With PTI inputs)
