NEW DELHI: Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's remarks on BJP and RSS promoting Hindu terrorism have triggered a fresh face off between the government and the principal opposition party. A fuming BJP on Monday demanded Shinde's dismissal dubbing him as a 'lightweight' minister.
BJP reiterated its demand for an apology from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "He (Shinde) is a light-weight home minister in the habit of making lightweight remarks, but since he spoke in the presence of the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi, his comments have to be taken seriously," BJP's chief spokesperson Ravi ShankarPrasad said at a press conference here.
Accusing Congress of playing vote-bank politics, he said BJP will hold nation-wide protests on January 24. "BJP will not tolerate the use of Hindu terror or saffron terror in India. Sushil Kumar Shinde must be sacked and PM and Sonia must tender unconditional apology," he said.
Prasad also said Shinde's continuance as leader of Lok Sabha could affect relations between the ruling side and BJP. "What is the meaning of linking Hindu and saffron colour with terror? It is a downright insult of India's spiritual, cultural and civilisational heritage. India is secular because it respects all views...Saffron is the beacon of India's spiritual and religious heritage, what is the intention behind linking it with terror," he said.
Apprehending that Shinde's comments would give ground for Pakistan to go even more into denial, he said "forces in Pakistan will be the happiest today. Pakistan is always in a mode of denial, whether it is 26/11 or attack on the border, they will say look at what your home minister is saying," Prasad said. He asked if BJP had, when Simi or IM was banned, called it Muslim terror. "A terrorist is a terrorist regardless of his faith." Issues like delay in Afzal Guru's mercy plea, Pota's repeal, Bangladeshi migrants and Sethu Samudram row, were 'copy book' cases on rank vote-bank politics on terrorism, he alleged.
On Digvijaya Singh defending Shinde, he said Singh addressed Mumbai terror mastermind Hafeez Saeed as 'Hafeez Saeedji'.
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