Cong 'exposes' BJP's 'links with terrorists'; slams 'fake nationalism'

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of having links with terrorists and playing a "disgusting game" to hollow out the country under the garb of nationalism, the Congress on Saturday asked the saffron party to introspect as to how such elements were finding their way into its fold and provide an explanation for it.

In an all-out attack on the BJP, the Congress held press conferences in 23 cities across the country to counter what it said was the BJP's "fake nationalism claims" and to take the message to the grassroots level that the ruling party has "connections" with individuals who have indulged in heinous crimes and terror acts.

In a tweet in Hindi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The BJP has links with terrorists, what is this relationship called?"

"Today 23 of our leaders and spokespersons exposed BJP's links with terrorists by holding press conferences in different cities of the country," Ramesh said, using the hashtag 'TerroristBJPBhaiBhai'.

Hitting back at the Congress, the BJP cited various past incidents to allege the Congress can join hands with even terrorists to be in power.

Slamming the Congress, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra cited the reported remarks of the then Union minister Salman Khurshid that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in tears on seeing the pictures of the Batla House encounter and the party's attack on the Gujarat government headed by then chief minister Narendra Modi over the police killing of suspected terrorist Ishrat Jahan.

At a press conference in Raipur, Congress leader Pawan Khera said the Congress has never favoured doing politics on the issue of terrorism, but the way the "links of terrorists and criminals with the BJP are coming to light one after another, it has become necessary to ask questions and put facts before people".

"In the garb of nationalism, the BJP is playing a disgusting game to hollow out the country," said Khera, head of the Congress' media department.

The brutal killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur was a "terrorist incident", he said, alleging that Riyaz Attari, one of the main accused, was a BJP member since 2019.

"In Jammu and Kashmir, villager apprehended two terrorists who were planning to attack Amarnath Yatra. One of them is Talib Hussain Shah who was an office-bearer of the BJP's minority cell in Jammu and Kashmir. Even Irfan Khan, alleged mastermind of chemist Umesh Kolhe's murder in Maharashtra's Amravati, had campaigned for Independent MP Navneet Rana whose links with the BJP are better known to the media than to me, Khera alleged.

Rana earlier this week denied that she or her husband and MLA Ravi Rana had any connection with the main accused in the Kolhe murder.

Khera also cited other examples of terror accused who allegedly had connections with the BJP.

At a press conference in Ahmedabad, Congress's Rajya Sabha member Depender Hooda said the reports about "terrorists and criminals" having links with the BJP a matter of concern for the country.

He said the saffron party needs to introspect as to how such elements were finding their way into the party fold.

Citing media reports, he claimed that Attari was linked to the BJP.

Hooda asked the ruling party to "form an internal probe committee and also call a national executive meeting to introspect".

"We feel sorry that the people who conspire to damage the country are getting a place in the BJP. It is a national party and is in power in the country. For the BJP, it should be a matter of deep introspection," he told reporters.

Citing the cases of terrorist Talib Hussain, who was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir; Tariq Ahmed Mir, a sarpanch from Jammu and Kashmir arrested on terror charge, one Dhruv Saxena held in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly spying for ISI, Hooda alleged that all of them were found to have links with the BJP, with some of them even being the party's office-bearers.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar gave examples to support the claim that the persons caught in several terror-related and other crimes, including the Udaipur and Amravati killings, were linked to the saffron party.

He also alleged that Attari, one of the accused in the Kanhaiya Lal's murder in Udaipur, was a BJP worker.

"He had joined the BJP in the presence of a senior local leader. He was seen attending numerous party programmes in the presence of senior BJP leaders," Kumar claimed.

The BJP government has the dubious distinction of having released dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar in 1999 during the Kandahar hijacking, Kumar said.

"Azhar went on to establish Jaish-e-Muhammad terror group that was responsible for the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks that caused hundreds of deaths. Jaish also masterminded the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 44 CRPF personnel died after 200 kg of high explosive, including RDX, somehow made it past multiple security checkpoints. Why an inquiry into Pulwama has not been held remains a mystery," he claimed.

Addressing a presser in Thiruvananthapuram, Congress leader Dasoju Sravan asked if the activists of the nation's ruling party themselves are involved in such activities, then who is there to protect the people of the country and to safeguard national security.

"If a ruling party, that too a self-styled nationalist and patriotic party, has relationship...links with the terror activities, all of us are in danger...the country is in danger...the people are in danger. And it is important for all of us to ask straight questions to the BJP as to why this nexus exists," Sravan said.

Speaking with reporters in Guwahati, Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan also accused the ruling BJP of maintaining close links' with individuals caught in terror activities, including in Assam. She maintained that while the BJP loses no opportunity to preach nationalism to Indians, the association with such individuals has led the Congress to question the saffron party.

The Congress has also released Attari's photographs purportedly with BJP leaders in Rajasthan.

The BJP, however, has denied any link with such elements and claimed that some of them had clicked pictures with its leaders after infiltrating the party ranks.

The BJP has also denied that Talib Hussain Shah was an office-bearer of the part's minority cell in Jammu and Kashmir.