HYDERABAD: A day after he spoke against
Telangana BJP chief
Bandi Sanjay Kumar
, party’s Christian leader
David Andrew Xavier
was suspended on Friday.
Confirming the
suspension
,
BJP minority morcha president Afsar Pasha told TOI that BJP is not against any
religion
, but
Xavier
has crossed the party line by attacking Sanjay openly.
“We sent a message to him that he has been suspended. He misconstrued the remarks of our state party chief on Christian community,” Pasha said. Asserting that the party fully supports Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ agenda, he said Xavier’s remarks that BJP does not stand with every religion were far from the truth.
While his suspension looked inevitable, Xavier claimed he was in line for a bigger role at the state level before the axe fell on him. “Just a few days back, the party leadership had sent me a message that I will be given a bigger role. And now, they are telling me that I was suspended from the party,” Xavier told TOI.
He said he cannot undermine the community leaders’ sentiments, taking exception to Sanjay’s remarks that “only one religion (Christianity) seems to matter in Andhra Pradesh”. Xavier said he has no choice now. “I will discuss my suspension issue with the community leaders. We will soon have a meeting,” he said.
Sanjay had recently attacked the YSRC government in AP for “allowing desecration of Hindu gods’ idols”.
Xavier’s suspension comes close on the heels of suspension of another minority leader Firat Ali Bakri from the party on grounds of indiscipline. “Though he did not speak anything against the party, his conduct was not in tune with party’s protocol,” Pasha said.