Home Minister Rajnath Singh evades queries on Shiv Sena's demand

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today refused to be drawn into the controversy over ally Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's demand for scrapping voting rights of Muslims.

The Home Minister, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting on 'Untouchability No More', was queried about the editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' by journalists.

"Untouchability should come to an end," Singh told reporters here, refusing to broach the issue.

When asked whether "untouchability in politics" should come to an end, he repeated, "Untouchability should come to an end".

Shiv Sena yesterday courted controversy by demanding scrapping of voting rights of Muslims, saying the community has often been used for vote bank politics, evoking sharp reactions from several political parties which accused it of trying to inflame passions and divide people.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' also likened the All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul-Muslimeen ( MIM) and Owaisi brothers to "poisonous snakes" who spew venom to "exploit" the minority community.

Congress and Samajwadi Party criticised the Sena mouthpiece's editorial saying it was aimed at dividing society.

Shiv Sena is the oldest ally of the BJP and has 18 Lok Sabha MPs.