Bhopal: Launching an attack on the BJP for taking credit of the Masood Azhar episode after the United Nation designated him as a global terrorist, Congress leader Raj Babbar said the listing was a result of the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s activities in Afghanistan and not for the terror attacks in India.
Babbar, who was in Bhopal on Friday, also reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about its role in releasing the terrorist during the Kandahar incident.
“Azhar’s designation as a global terrorist is only a repentance of the BJP’s sin, though, now, it is trying to glorify it as an award,” the Congress leader said.
Seeking to refute the BJP’s claims that the UN move came in the wake of special diplomatic efforts of the Narendra Modi government in the wake of the terror attacks in the country, Babbar said the listing had no mention of the strikes in either Pulwama or Pathankot.
Over 40 CRPF jawans were killed by a suicide bomber in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district in February this year, while a heavily armed militant group had attacked the Pathankot air base leading to the death of a civilian and seven security personnel in January 2016.
The actor-turned-politician said the UN listing was an outcome of the foreign policy mooted by the country’s late leaders and the efforts initiated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2008-09.
Claiming that the BJP-led NDA government’s success was a result of the Congress’ long-term policies that have started reaching the ground level, Babbar said the BJP’s uneasiness was evident from the fact that many of the senior cabinet ministers, including those in charge of country’s defence, finance, education and railways, were not contesting the Lok Sabha election.
“None of them could dare to take part in direct election,” Babbar added.
Taking a dig at the BJP candidates who had criminal charges levelled against them, Babbar said people were aware of the kind of face the saffron camp was fielding in the election.
“If possible, the party would have fielded those languishing in jail as candidates,” the Congress leader said.
“The saffron party has candidates who have chargesheets against them and Mamaji (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) had even accompanied a murder accused when the latter went to file his nomination,” he said.
Chouhan had gone with former minister Lal Singh Arya, who has charges of murder against him, when he went to file his nomination for the Assembly election, last year.
Babbar’s remark was also aimed at Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case and is out on bail. Thakur is the BJP’s Bhopal candidate for the Lok Sabha election.
When asked about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s response to the Election Commission’s notice wherein the firebrand BJP leader has claimed that the platform for election rallies was meant for attacking opponents and not to recite bhajans, the yesteryear filmstar said people were failing to respect the colour of their attire (saffron) these days.
He said though the bhagwa attire signified sacrifice and service to society, in today’s world, it was increasingly being projected as a symbol of selfishness and hatred.
On being asked about the number of parliamentary seats likely to be won by the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Babbar claimed three more phases of the election were left to be held in the state, hence, it wasn’t proper for him to come up with any predictions.
However, he claimed anti-BJP forces, including the grand old party, would register a handsome victory across the country.
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