Speaking on the Mecca Masjid blast case at a rally in the Congress bastion of Rae Bareli, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday dared Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to apologise for using the phrase “saffron terror”.
Mr. Shah said by that by referring to “saffron terror”, Congress leaders and Ministers under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had “tarnished the image of Hindu culture worldwide”. He mentioned the names of senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh, P. Chidambaram and Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Mr. Shah said that Swami Aseemanand’s acquittal in the Mecca Masjid blasts case proved that he had been falsely implicated, and said, “It has been four days but still Congress leaders have not apologised.” He added that the Congress would not offer an apology as it was “more interested in safeguarding its vote bank politics”.
Former aide of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh, along with his brother Avadesh Singh, a Zilla Panchayat head, joined the BJP during the rally.
Mr. Shah promised the people of Rae Bareli that the BJP would rid them from “dynasty politics” and guide them towards development.
