The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday registered its strong objection to recent terrorism-related remarks made by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and said adding he was perhaps voicing the view of “his master” Rahul Gandhi.
What made the BJP rush to denounce Mr. Singh was his reported comment that the “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a bomb-making factory.” Mr. Singh was referring to the suspected involvement of some RSS men in the blasts at the Ajmer Dargah, Malegaon, Mecca Masjid and on the Samjhauta Express and the charge sheets filed against Pragya Singh Thakur, Aseemanand and others who had close contacts with the RSS. And to bombs going off in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) in 2008 and Nanded (Maharashtra) in 2006 where RSS-linked Bajrang Dal activists were found to be involved in producing bombs; some of the bombs exploded when they were being assembled.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad was asked what he had to say about Pragya Singh and Aseemanand, both accused of terrorist activities. His response was: “There should be action against all involved in terror activities.” Asked about the bomb explosions in Kanpur and Nanded, he did not deny those incidents, but said: “Action should be taken,” but that does not justify the comment that the RSS is a bomb-making factory.”
Mr. Prasad recalled a reported comment made by Mr. Gandhi that Hindutva terrorism was a major challenge. “Mr. Digvijay Singh was clearly airing the view of Mr. Gandhi. It was his master's voice speaking,” said Mr. Prasad.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Prasad once again repeated the BJP view that the delay in hanging death row convict in Parliament House attack case Afzal Guru was because of “vote-bank considerations.”
As for his party's view on carrying out the death sentence against Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, also a terror convict, who has been on death row for more than 8 years, Mr. Prasad said: “There can be no sequencing of death row convicts.” In other words, Afzal Guru's case must be acted upon first, ahead of the cases of Bhullar as well as Nalini, who were given the death sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and those of many other death row convicts.
The BJP has once again taken up the slogan ‘Congress is soft on terror,' although, as admitted by Mr. Prasad, the same slogan was used by the BJP in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha election in which the party was roundly defeated. This time it could be different.
Finally, Mr. Prasad was of the view that the need of the hour was unity and integrity of the nation and politicians from all sides, including, of course, Mr. Digvijay Singh, should refrain from making loose comments aimed at vote-bank politics that can do no good to the country and its morale. Mr. Digvijay Singh is trying to break the national consensus against all terror activities.”
Mr. Prasad felt that Mr. Singh's comments on the RSS could only strengthen the hands of the ISI and Pakistan authorities across the border. And these comments were uncalled for, especially when news reports on the recent Mumbai blasts suggest the investigations are moving in quite a different direction from Hindutva fundamentalist terrorism.
