The BJP continued its attack on controversial Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi for their connections with him.
BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said that Dr Naik’s speeches were clearly incendiary and had led to terrorist activity — Dr Naik has been named as having influenced the terrorists who attacked a café in Dhaka last week killing 20 persons. The fact that Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh had shared a stage with him at a function a few years ago was a cause of worry, Mr Sharma said.
“The Congress is notorious for politicising terror and to valorise terrorists. In the past, its leaders have referred to Osama Bin Laden as Osamaji and internationally wanted terrorist Hafeez Sayyed as Hafeez Sayyed Sahab. They have also undermined the martyrdom of police personnel like M.C. Sharma, who was killed in the Batla House encounter,” he said.
Mr. Sharma also countered Mr. Digvijaya Singh’s charge that even more serious that his (Mr. Singh’s) appearance with Dr. Naik were the pictures of Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya. “Rajnathji’s pictures with Sadhvi Pragya were at a condolence meeting of a family member of one of our party workers in Madhya Pradesh,” Mr. Sharma said.
