It was on February 17 while addressing a meeting at his hometown Meerut that the minister announced the reward, which also included weighing the "daredevil person in gold". The announcement created a furore. Although Qureshi clarified that he did not make the statement in his capacity as minister, the Opposition demanded his immediate resignation. While Mulayam clammed up on the issue, the state police clarified that no case could be framed against the minister since the affected party anyway "lived in a distant land".
The all-round condemnation has failed to deter Qureshi, who’s convinced his statement doesn’t flout any law of the land. Reminding detractors of the ’92 UN resolution that states that no country should demean any religion, Qureshi advocates "strong action against Denmark".
Pleased with the publicity, Qureshi is busy these days drumming up public support. When asked where he would get the reward money, he announced grandly: "It is not a huge sum. I will spread a sheet on the road and ask Muslims for alms...you will see that within an hour the money will be collected. Muslims are not only ready to give money, but they will willingly give their lives to the cause I am fighting for."