Under attack, Nirupam targets BJP

October 06, 2016 12:00 am | Updated November 01, 2016 11:19 pm IST - Mumbai:

Sena seeks sedition charge, civil society members boycott Cong. event

up in arms:BJP workers protest against Sanjay Nirupam’s remark in Borivli.— Photo: Vijay Bate

up in arms:BJP workers protest against Sanjay Nirupam’s remark in Borivli.— Photo: Vijay Bate

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, even as he continued to face flak from several quarters for suggesting that the Army’s surgical strikes could be fake.

While the Shiv Sena demanded that a sedition case be slapped against him, Mr. Nirupam’s party had to call off a meeting on civic issues after panellists pulled out over his remarks.

Unfazed by the heat even from within his party, Mr. Nirupam accused the BJP of trying to extract political mileage out of the national security issue.

“BJP’s political tamasha over national security is on. Raksha Mantri Parrikar to b felicitated by UP #BJP. Elections to be held there next yr [sic],” he tweeted.

Seizing on the issue, the Shiv Sena called for sedition charges to be slapped on Mr. Nirupam for “doubting the integrity of the Army”, and asked the Congress high command to sack him immediately. “It is surprising that he can dare question the veracity of the Army’s operations at a time when even Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) and vice-president (Rahul Gandhi) have made their stand very clear on this issue,” Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.

In a snub to Nirupam, civil society members, including former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, activist Anandini Thakur, and RTI activist Bhaskar Prabhu, decided to pull out as panellists from a meeting over civic issues organised by the Congress, to register their displeasure over the comments. This forced the party to cancel the discussion on ‘abduction of open spaces’ in the city. No reason was given for cancellation of the event.

Mr. Gandhi, in an email to Mr. Nirupam, said, “It pains all Indians to hear an Indian national talking in such a manner and providing support to Pakistan’s stand.”

Mr. Nirupam, meanwhile, sought to know why Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was visiting Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, “where elections are very near”. “On one side, Venkaiah Nadu says that there should not be discussions over the surgical strike, but his partymen and leaders are carrying out series of political campaign [events], that’s what I am strongly criticising,” he said.

“The truth is that the BJP is extracting political mileage over the issue of national security, which no other party ever did. BJP has been involved in the politicisation of the defence activities...and being a citizen of the country, I have every right to ask these questions,” he said. — PTI

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