Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Infamous for her Islamophobic comments and targeting Muslim customs and traditions, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nighat Abbas on Tuesday joined Congress ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly election.
As the BJP leader, Nighat Abbas has severely berated the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. But on Tuesday, she said she wants to move forward with the vision of the Congress party. Ironically, she is now accusing the BJP of engaging in divisive politics.
“It does not suit the BJP at all to engage in divisive politics of ‘Bantenge to Katenge’ (If we divide, we will be cut). What was being done was instigating one community, creating a situation where people would provoke and fight. This is what the BJP has done across the country,” she said.
Pointing to the fear and insecurity faced by Muslims under the BJP regime, she said, “Today, a Muslim walking on the street feels afraid, and this is the reason why I left the BJP and joined the Congress.” She expressed relief that, unlike in the BJP, she would not be pressured to speak against Muslims to gain popularity. “I am happy that here, unlike in the BJP, I won’t be told before TV debates to speak against Muslims just to go viral,” she added.
As she joined the Congress, people on social media have brought up the provocative, offensive and inflammatory remarks she had made during her association with the BJP.
In a post put out on 13 February 2022, she slammed Muslims for making their women wear hijabs, give birth to children and forcing them to cook nalli nahari (meat curry).
In a post, she shamed Muslims for marrying their cousins, describing the practice in a lewd manner.
“The marriage between cousins is right, the one who was brother yesterday is now your husband. You will kill a woman if her hair comes out of hijab,” she said targeting Muslims.
Similarly, several of her tweets are aimed at spreading hatred and spreading misinformation about the minority community. She made such remarks regularly. Nighat Abbas used to appear on panel discussions on different news channels to make Islamophobic remarks.
She also targeted madrasas claiming that religion was not taught there. They are teaching something else, she said.
She supported the Citizenship Amendment Act which excludes Muslims from neighbouring countries in getting Indian citizenship.
“I’m an Indian Muslim and I welcome #CAA,” she posted on X.
Prominent fact-checker Mohammed Zubair took a dig at her joining Congress. He wondered whether after her, another BJP’s Muslim face Nazia Elahi, who also makes hateful and Islamophobic remarks, would join Congress.
“Nighat Abbas joins Congress. So when is BJP minority leader Nazia Elahi joining Congress?” said Zubair.
Congress member Meraj Hussain asked Abbass to apologise for her Islamophobic remarks which caused immense pain to the Muslim community.
“Anyone can have a change of heart but @abbas_nighat the poison you have spread will continue to haunt me as a Muslim. You should publicly apologise for your comments on the women of Shaheen Bagh and the genocide in Gaza and also tell us on whose advice you did all this,” said Hussain.