Congress accused of defaming Hindu religion, BJP demands apology
New Delhi, April 16: The BJP on Monday accused the Congress of "defaming" the Hindu religion by coining the term "saffron terror" and demanded apologies from Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra made the demand after a Special NIA court acquitted all five accused in the Mecca Masjid Bomb blast case earlier in the day.
"Today after the verdict, the Congress' face has been exposed as never before," Patra told the media.
Slamming the Congress, the BJP leader said: "A former official R.V.S. Mani told the media today that Home Minister (P. Chidambaram) was involved in changing the files.
"To hide the truth, to change the truth and to change whatever was already submitted in the court through affidavit, this is what Chidambaram and others in the Congress dispensation were doing just in order to prove saffron terror.
"Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi must apologise to the nation."
The BJP leader said that those who follow Indian politics are remembering the 2013 Congress's Jaipur convention where then party President Sonia Gandhi, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi were sitting on the dias.
"Then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in his address to the party workers read out the term saffron terror. By doing this he defamed the centuries-old Hindu religion," he alleged, adding that all the senior party leaders remained silent.
Patra said "Hindu terror" was first used by Chidambaram in 2010.
He slammed the Congress for indulging in appeasement politics for years.
He also attacked the Congress leaders for maintaining "double standards" on the court verdict.
Trading insults at the Congress President, Patra asked: "Rahulji, isn't it correct that you met US ambassador and told him that 'We don't fear the SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) but we do fear the Hindus'?"
"Didn't you tell him that the SIMI was not involved in terror activities but the Hindus were?"
He also said that all Congress leaders take lessons from Rahul Gandhi.
"Or had these leaders made statements without consulting you?" he asked.
Hitting out at Shinde, Patra said, "At the height of the appeasement politics, in 2013, Shinde sent notices to all the Chief Ministers saying to not arrest any innocent Muslim youth."
Due to its appeasement politics, the Congress was deserted in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Patra added.
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Kerala leader M A Baby elected CPIM general secretary
Madurai(PTI): Former Kerala minister M A Baby was elected as the CPI(M) general secretary at the 24th party congress here on Sunday, sources said.
A section of the party leaders had backed All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale for the post.
Born to P M Alexander and Lilly Alexander in Kerala's Prakkulam in 1954, Baby's first exposure to politics came when he joined the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of the Students Federation of India, during his school days.
He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998.
Baby has been a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI(M), since 2012.
The post of the party general secretary fell vacant following the death of Sitaram Yechury last year, after which Prakash Karat took over as the interim coordinator.
The 24th party congress of the CPI(M) began on April 2 and will end on Sunday.
