Revealed: Why Modi refused to wear Muslim skull cap | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Revealed: Why Modi refused to wear Muslim skull cap

Hindustan Times | ByMahesh Langa, Ahmedabad
Sep 19, 2011 05:50 PM IST

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who is on 72-hour long fast to promote harmony and peace and unity, refused to wear Muslim skullcap on Sunday when a Maulana offered him on the dais at the fast venue. Mahesh Langa reports. More flak for CM | Riot victims' open letter | Poll: Will the fast clean Modi's image?

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who is on 72-hour long fast to promote harmony and peace and unity, refused to wear Muslim skull cap on Sunday when a Maulana offered him on the dais at the fast venue.

Narendra-Modi-seen-in-different-head-gears-during-his-three-day-fast-in-Ahmedabad
Narendra-Modi-seen-in-different-head-gears-during-his-three-day-fast-in-Ahmedabad

Modi politely refused to accept the cap and instead accepted a shawl from Maulavi Sayed Imam, who had gone to greet the chief minister for Sadbhavna fast.

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A maulana walked up to the stage to meet Narendra Modi and told him he had something to offer him before taking out a skullcap from the side pocket of his sidepocket of robe, hoping that the Modi will wear it graciously since he has been letting different people tie turbans.

Seeing the cap, Modi's expression changed like a flash and he gestured that he would not prefer wearing the cap under the gaze of cameras.

While the exchange of words between them is not known, Modi is believed to have indicated to the maulana that he would not mind wearing the latter's green chadar but not the cap.

The maulana obliged and immediately draped his chadar around his shoulders and clicked photographs with smiling faces.

According to some BJP leaders, Modi, it seems, does not wish to make the mistake that former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had made on his visit to Pakistan. The senior BJP leader had offered a chadar to Jinnah’s mausoleum and described the founder of Pakistan as "secular" and an "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity".

"That episode ended Advani's credibility so obviously Modi would not repeat such mistake," a BJP minister said.

Meanwhile, Modi will end his fast and address the gathering at 5 pm on Monday. Among the leaders who visited him on Monday was Raj Thackrey, who hailed Modi as the most qualified person to be the Prime Minister of the country.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch Now!

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