BJP accuses Congress of 'targeting saints, soldiers, Sanatan Dharma' for vote bank politics
Speaking at a press conference here, party spokesperson Sambit Patra said, 'Saints, soldiers, Sanatan, and the Constitution — Congress attacked all four for 17 years. It was a calculated strategy to malign Hindus for vote bank politics. But in the end, truth has triumphed.'
Patra's remarks came in response to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court's acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. He alleged that the Congress party, particularly the Gandhi family, had sought to create a false narrative of 'saffron terror', deliberately linking Hindu identity with terrorism.
'The judgment by the NIA court has shattered the false propaganda that Congress tried to spread for years,' he added.
Referring to a major revelation, Patra cited former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Mehboob Mujawar, who claimed he was pressured by senior officers and government officials to arrest Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, despite Bhagwat's name not featuring in any charge sheet or investigation report. Mujawar resisted, citing constitutional limits, and faced false allegations and career setbacks. He was later acquitted by the court, Patra said.
'This is a clear example of Congress' vindictive politics under the Gandhi family's leadership,' he asserted, a day after his colleague and senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had sought Congress apology for making remarks that the blast was a case of 'Hindu terror'.
Patra also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier statement alleging that a senior Congress leader had met American intelligence officials and labelled 'Hindu terror' a bigger threat than the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). 'Everyone knows who that leader is,' he remarked, indirectly referring to the Gandhi family.
He further criticised Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan for his comments that 'terrorism has no religion' while simultaneously referring to 'Sanatani or Hindu terrorism.' Patra also cited former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's admission that his 'saffron terror' remarks were made under party directives.
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