Taking strong exception to the comment made by Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed against party leader L K Advani, the BJP on Monday said the remarks “went against all norms of propriety and decency”.
The statement was made by Ahmed in Rajasthan on Sunday, in which he said that Advani “should have stayed back in Pakistan to serve the Hindus there.”
The BJP also demanded to know from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi whether Ahmed’s thoughts echoed the views of the Congress. “The comment made by Ahmed about Advani is not only condemnable but also beyond all standards of political propriety,” said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
The BJP reminded the Congress that partition had uprooted lakhs of people, including the families of Manmohan and former PM I K Gujral. “Didn’t Manmohan Singh get to become the Prime Minister of the country? And I K Gujral as well”. “Advani also came to India. Several of the migrants became senior journalists, Generals and businessmen. What does the Congress spokesperson mean by this... I think the Congress needs to restrain him,” Prasad said. The party said that it is the cultural, moral, and Constitutional obligation of India to stand up for Hindus being persecuted anywhere in the world. “The condition of Hindus in Pakistan is indeed very pitiable,” Prasad added.