BJP slams SP leader's statement on Bhatkal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) for giving a religious hue to the issue of terrorism, after an SP leader said Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was targeted because he was a Muslim.

SP spokesman Kamaal Farooqui made the statement on Bhatkal in New Delhi on Friday.

Bhatkal, wanted by police in 12 states for bombings and other terror activities in the last five years, was arrested from the India-Nepal border on Thursday. He was arrested along with Asadullah Akhtar, his terror accomplice.

On Saturday, BJP state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said SP leaders "had stooped to a new low in their quest for minority votes".

"The issue of a terrorism is a national one and should not be seen through a religious prism," he said.

"Though we do not expect anything better from a party whose government in Uttar Pradesh is withdrawing cases against terror accused, the silence of the top Samajwadi Party leadership in the matter reflects the party's mindset on a serious national issue like terrorism," Pathak said.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com