Cong can even join hands with terrorists to be in power: BJP

PTI, Jul 9, 2022, 4:56 PM IST

The BJP on Saturday cited various past incidents to allege the Congress can join hands with even terrorists to be in power as it hit back at the opposition party for holding press conferences across the country to corner the government over the issue of terrorism.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra noted the reported remarks of the then Union minister Salman Khurshid that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in tears on seeing the pictures of the Batla House encounter and the party’s attack on the Gujarat government headed by then chief minister Narendra Modi over the police killing of suspected terrorist Ishrat Jahan.

Some organisations had alleged that the 2008 Batla House encounter was fake and a few Congress leaders had joined the chorus for a probe. Patra noted that terror outfit LeT had admitted that Jahan was associated with it but the Congress call her ”innocent” and had gone after the state government over her encounter death. LeT founder Hafiz Saeed had even praised the Congress as a good party, he alleged.

”This is the track record of the Congress, and the same party now dares to hold press conferences at 22 places over the issue of terrorism,” he said.

Congress leaders have said the nationwide pressers aim at countering the BJP’s ”fake nationalism” and to take the message to the grassroots that the ruling party has ”connections” with individuals who have indulged in heinous crimes and terror acts.

The Congress has alleged that Riyaz Attari, one of the prime accused in the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, was a BJP member. It has also released his photographs purportedly with BJP leaders in Rajasthan.

The BJP, however, has denied any link with such elements and claimed that some of them had clicked pictures with its leaders after infiltrating the party ranks.

The Congress also claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Talib Hussain Shah who was nabbed by people in Reasi town in Srinagar recently was an office-bearer of the BJP’s minority cell in Jammu and Kashmir, a charge denied by the BJP leadership in the Union Territory.

Hitting back, Patra alleged that appeasement is at the foundation of the Congress leading to the abetment of terrorism. He said the 10 years of UPA rule were ”marked by frequent terror attacks” across India while the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi controlled terrorism.

The BJP spokesperson also claimed that JKLF militant Yasin Malik, now convicted in a terror funding case, was felicitated during the UPA government. Sonia Gandhi had her photograph clicked with controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has fled India, as he had donated money to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Naik stoked anti-national feelings among people and encouraged communal passion, he alleged.

”If the Gandhi family has to join hands with terrorists to keep itself in power, it won’t avoid this,” he said and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to introspect.