BJP leaders have also praised Jinnah earlier, says Congress leader Rashid Alvi

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's "Jinnah" remark, Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Jaswant Singh and Lal Krishna Advani have earlier praised Jinnah.

The statement comes after Union Minister Amit Shah, during a public rally, claimed that Akhilesh Yadav sees Jinnah as a great person as the Uttar Pradesh poll is round the corner.

"I never heard the Samajwadi Party leader making any such statement on Jinnah. Shah is manipulating things," Alvi said.

The Congress leader further claimed that Jinnah was praised most by the BJP leaders.

"Jaswant Singh in one of his books called Jinnah a secular leader, Advani Ji used to visit Jinnah's tomb," he added.

Addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, Anit Shah said that while government ushered in a positive 'JAM' that is J for Jan Dhan account, A for Aadhar Card, M for mobile phones, the SP had riled the state with another JAM - J for 'Jinnah, A for 'Azam Khan' and M for 'Mukhtar'.

Shah said, "We brought in JAM- J for Jan Dhan account, A for Aadhar Card, M for mobile phones. Now, SP also said to have brought a JAM...which is - 'J for Jinnah, A for Azam Khan and M for Mukhtar'. They do not want the development of Uttar Pradesh. They only believe in dividing society with casteism, riots, appeasement politics and vote bank politics. As polls approach, Akhilesh ji is seeing a great person in Jinnah. I want to ask the people of minority, Do you find a great person in Jinnah?'

Earlier this month, on the occasion of the 146th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was addressing a gathering when he remarked that Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah studied in the same institute, where they became barristers and fought for India's independence.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are slated to be held early next year.

( With inputs from ANI )