Muslims won't mind if Modi is elected PM: Former Darul chief

Former vice chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband,Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi on Monday said that Muslims should not have any problems if the people of the country elect Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the prime minister.

"If our country makes him prime minister, there is no reason for us to have any objection (Agar apna mulk unko PM banata hai to hamari taraf se koi inkaar to ho hi nahi sakta)," Vastanvi told reporters when he was asked him about his views on Modi

When asked about his take on the plight of minorities, particularly Muslims, in Gujarat, he said, "For the past 10 years, BJP has ruled in the state. If the BJP government works for Muslims, then Muslims will support it and if it does not, then they will move away."

"As (Samajwadi Party chief) Mulayamji (Yadav) had opined recently, if the BJP changes the agenda, changes its ideology and adopts a secular approach towards every section of society, then I don't see why people won't support it," he said.

In early 2011, Vastanvi was caught in the middle of a controversy when, as the newly elected vice chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband Seminary, his comments regarding development's positive impact on Gujarat's Muslims were interpreted in some quarters as praise for Modi.

On July 24, 2011, he was asked to step down from the post of vice chancellor.