NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday fiercely attacked the opposition Congress party for weakening India’s war against terror by coining the term ‘Hindu terrorism’. “The then Home Minister in the UPA regime had coined the term ‘Hindu terrorism’ in a bid to change the direction of a probe so that the country is weakened in its fight against terror... In fact Hafiz Saeed of Pakistan had congratulated the then Home Minister after the statement,” Rajnath said in Lok Sabha adding that the NDA government won’t allow such shameful division in the country on the issue of terrorism. “Terrorism is terrorism, it has no religion, no caste,” he said.
His statement is also seen as a direct attack on at least two UPA home ministers — P Chidambaram and Sushilkumar Shinde. It was Chidambaram who had first used “Hindu Militancy” in 2009 and subsequently in 2013 his successor Shinde claimed that the RSS and BJP affiliated wings are running training camps and promoting Hindu terrorism.
Rajnath, who had just finished a statement on the Gurdaspur terror attack in the Lower House, was agitated after Congress MPs trooped into the Well of the House immediately after his statement.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu tried to convey that the government is ready for a discussion. However, it failed to soothe the agitated political nerves of Congress MPs. The ruckus prompted Rajnath to rake up several issues highlighting the Congress-led government’s failure in handling terrorism. “What happened in Sharm-el Sheikh and Havana... Sympathy was shown on terror. I want to appeal to all the leaders to seriously discuss the terrorism issue,” he said.
The Congress MPs wanted to counter Rajnath but speaker Sumitra Mahajan categorically told them to give a notice on the issue for discussion. As uproar continued, the House was adjourned till 2 pm. Congress leader in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded that Rajnath’s statement on Congress-ruled government be expunged. Kharge charged that the government was playing politics over the issue of terrorism.
all-party meeting on monday
With just five working days left in the Monsoon session, the government will again call an all-party meeting on Monday with the Congress insisting that it will attend it, only when the government makes a concrete proposal to it.