Shazia Ilmi's running between Muslims & BJP shocks author Taslima Nasreen

Bengaluru, Jan 14: Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Wednesday expressed shock over the reports that former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Shazia Ilmi is all set to campaign for the BJP in the Delhi assembly election scheduled next month.

In a tweet, Nasreen said: "Shazia Ilmi spoke so much against BJP, asked Muslims to be communal, now she'll campaign for BJP? Seriously,I'm bloody scared of politicians!"

In April last year during the Lok Sabha election, a video surfaced showing Ilmi, who contested the 2013 Delhi election and the 2014 Lok Sabha on the AAP's ticket but lost both times, telling some Muslim leaders that their community needed to be more communal and not act secular as they do.

Backing Kejriwal, Ilmi said a Muslim isn't communal and doesn't vote for his own and said the AAP chief was one of them.

AAP later played it safe saying it did not believe in such politics and neither endorse it. Ilmi also defended herself later saying she was playing with words and making fun of the term 'secularism' which is often used in Indian politics. The BJP had then sought an explanation from Ilmi on the matter.

Ilmi, a formr journalist and founding member of the AAP who quit it in June citing internal problems, made a surprise appearance at a BJP event held in New Delhi in October last year to launch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Clean India campaign.

Ilmi is among nine personalities who were roped in by the Delhi BJP for the campaign and she praised the Modi government for the drive.

Oneindia News