Arif

New Delhi, Feb. 23: Amid rumours of his joining the BJP, former Union minister Arif Mohammad Khan today sprang a surprise when he walked into Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath home for a meeting.

Khan declined to share the details of his hour-long discussions with the Congress chief. But he said Sonia had invited him to tea. “I accepted to go for a cup of tea because I do not want to mix personal relations with politics,” he said.

The Congress, however, declined to confirm whether Sonia had invited Khan. Party spokesman Anand Sharma said it was only a courtesy call.

He also refused to comment when asked why a leader who had spoken about his decision to join the BJP was invited.

Khan had said yesterday that he had made up his mind to join the BJP “soon” to remove all doubts and misunderstandings between the Sangh parivar and the minorities.

Asked whether today’s meeting with Sonia signalled a rethink, Khan said the decision to join the BJP “stands”. Only the BJP can help the country get rid of religious hatred, he added.

Sources in the Congress did indicate that the party was making a last-ditch effort to win over the former minister.

Khan has been critical of the Congress ever since he left the party and joined V.P. Singh’s Jan Morcha in 1989. He has accused the Congress of being the root cause of communalism in the country.