Malegaon verdict disproves ‘saffron terror’ theory, says BJP
The acquittal of all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case on Thursday lent fresh ammunition to the BJP which re-launched its “pro-Muslim” narrative against the Congress.
While the Congress maintained silence on the issue, the BJP claimed vindication of its old stance — “there is nothing called saffron terror.” The verdict came just a day after Home Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament that no Hindu could ever be a terrorist.
Owaisi: Will centre challenge acquittals?
- Terming the Malegaon case verdict disappointing, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday asked the Centre if it would appeal against it.
- “A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal,” he said.
- “Will the Modi & Devendra Fadnavis governments appeal the judgement the way they demanded stay in the Mumbai train blasts acquittals?” he asked.
The BJP for its part said the verdict had demolished Congress’ “imposed and well thought-out conspiracy of Hindu and saffron terror.”
Former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sought an apology from the Congress top brass — Sonia and Rahul Gandhi — accusing them of peddling the saffron terror narrative through government agencies during the UPA era.
Prasad cited three instances to make his case — Rahul’s leaked July 20, 2009, conversation with the then US ambassador Timothy Roemer where he said that Hindu terrorism was more dangerous that anti-India Muslim and left-wing extremism; the August 25, 2010 statement of then home minister P Chidambaram at the DGPs conference where he said that the uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism had been implicated in many bomb blasts’; the Jan 20, 2013 “Hindu terrorism” statement of then home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde at a Congress convention in Jaipur; and former AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh’s pro Zakir Naik statements besides his claims of right wing links to 26/11 Mumbai attack.
He alleged that Chidambaram pressured then Home Secretary GK Pillai against calling Ishrat Jahan an LeT agent despite the LeT claiming the death of one of its own. “Amit Shah was also wrongly embroiled in the Ishrat Jahan case. The Supreme Court while granting bail to Shah barred him from entering Gujarat for a year. That judgment was wrong,” said Prasad as the BJP made the case that the Congress “went out of its way to implicate Hindus in a series of cases.’
The BJP argued that the Malegaon blast, which the Congress attributed to Hundutva groups, came in the midst of several other terror related incidents which the then UPA government deployed to implicate the right wing.
These, Prasad, said included the 18 February 2007 Samjhauta Express Blast where two SIMI activists admitted to their role and two Pakistani terrorists were caught and later discharged; the 2007: Hyderabad mosque blast case in which 100 Muslim youth were caught and then discharged; 11 October 2007 Ajmer bomb blast where the BJP said Hindus were defamed by Congress and finally the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which some Congress leaders blamed on alleged saffron terror.
The Congress, BJP said, could go to any length in pursuit of Muslim vote bank.
India