Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday attacked Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his “Hindu terror” remarks (during the recent Jaipur “chintan shivir” of the Congress), and accused the United Progressive Alliance government of playing vote-bank politics. Dr. Joshi dared the Government to produce evidence. “Why is the Government silent if it has evidence?” he sought to know.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Dr. Joshi said the Home Minister’s statement had weakened India’s fight against terrorism.
Dr. Joshi, who is chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Lok Sabha, said a resolution of the United Nations Security Council Committee on Sanctions of June 2009 had said: “Arif Qasmani, chief coordinator of the Lashkar-e-Taiba had funded the Samjhauta Express blast, with the Al-Qaeda providing the staff [men] for [carrying] out the blast.”
Dr. Joshi rejected the Union Home Minister’s statement and said: “It is [a] conspiracy to denigrate Hindu society.” He said since the UPA government had failed on all fronts, it was trying to divert public attention.