Bismillah Khan kin refuse to propose Modi's name

The BJP’s attempt to rope in a family member of the legendary ‘shehnai’ maestro Bismillah Khan, as one of the proposers for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, suffered a setback when Khan’s grandson refused the offer and preferred to remain “apolitical”.

Khan’s son Jamin Hussain told reporters in Varanasi that BJP leaders had approached the family to include one of the members as a Modi proposer. “My father was an apolitical person...he was not associated with any particular party,” Hussain said, adding, “There is no similarity between politics and music.”

However, Hussain said his family would have no objection in holding a musical performance for anyone. “We never refuse offers for musical performances,” he said.

BJP sources here on Monday said that a list of 10 proposers had been sent to the party’s central leadership, even though a candidate cannot have more than four proposers.