After rebellion in BJP, Sabir Ali offers his membership be put on hold

New Delhi: Amidst displeasure among Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Sabir Ali has now said that his membership of the party should be put on hold till party leaders' charges against him are cleared. This comes after BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinay Katiyar accused Ali of being close to Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal.

Sabir Ali had earlier also said that he will quit politics if charges are proven against him. "If anyone finds a connection between me and Bhatkal I will quit politics. People who make such allegations must take some moral responsibility. I know my credentials and they are strong," Ali said.

Meanwhile, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who had tweeted expressing displeasure over Sabir Ali's induction into the party, has now deleted his tweet. However, he said that his stand on Sabir Ali remains the same, but he deleted the tweet due to reference to Dawood Ibrahim.

The RSS too has expressed displeasure. RSS leader Ram Madhav tweeted, "Sabir Ali's induction has caused great resentment. Party leadership has been apprised of the strong views of the cadre and people against it."

This comes a day after Naqvi tweeted saying Ali has close links to arrested Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal, adding that his induction will weaken the BJP's stand against terrorism. Naqvi also said that Ali's induction was akin to Dawood Ibrahim being given a BJP ticket. "Terrorist Bhatkal friend joins BJP. Soon accepting Dawood," Naqvi tweeted.

"I am a dedicated member of the BJP. We should rectify mistakes that the party has made. Our fight is against terrorism and anyone who is involved in any terrorist activities should not become a part of the BJP. It will lead to problems in the future," he later said.

BJP leader Vinay Katiyar also spoke out against Ali's induction, accusing the party of taking such a decision in a hurry and warning the party that this will tarnish its image. "Yasin Bhatkal was nabbed in the same area where Sabir Ali comes from. Bhatkal is a co-accused with Dawood in a murder case. There was no need to induct such a person into the party. This will damage the BJP's image," Katiyar said.