Hailing the NIA special court’s verdict, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said, “Atankwad Bhagwa Na Kabhi Tha, Na Hai, Na Kabhi Rahega” (Terrorism was never saffron, is not, and will never be).
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called it delayed justice, but said justice had finally been served to the victims. He alleged that during the Congress regime, several bomb blasts occurred and innocent people were framed, but now the courts are delivering justice to the truly innocent.
“The NIA court's verdict has erased the stigma on Hindus today. There is no doubt that the slogan 'Garv se kaho hum Hindu hai' will now be echoed a hundred times louder across the country. It is also true that justice was delayed, but it has been proven once again that truth is never defeated,” Shinde said.
Even though the Congress had raised questions about the NIA probe and its intentions, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena - a member of both the INDIA bloc and the MVA in Maharashtra - has welcomed the verdict.
While Thackeray has not yet issued an official response to the court order, his party’s MLC and Leader of the Opposition hailed the verdict, calling it “Satyamev Jayate – truth has prevailed”.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's "A Hindu cannot be a terrorist" statement in the Rajya Sabha, Shiv Sena (UBT ) MP Sanjay Raut also said, "A terrorist does not have any caste or religion. The people of Pakistan call Kulbhushan Yadav a terrorist, a Hindu terrorist. We are not ready to accept it. The government should tell Pakistan that he is our citizen and get him freed."
He further said that Shiv Sena had given unwavering support to the "patriots who were imprisoned on false charges in the Malegaon blasts case from the very beginning. “
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also criticised the Congress, saying the verdict exposes the party’s “anti-India, anti-justice, and anti-Sanatan character.”
“The exoneration of all accused in the Malegaon blast case is a living testament to the phrase ‘Satyamev Jayate’. The verdict once again exposes the anti-India, anti-justice, and anti-Sanatan character of the Congress, which coined the false term ‘saffron terror’ and defamed crores of Sanatan believers, saints, and patriots,” Yogi said in a post on X.
Calling for an apology, the Chief Minister said the Congress should publicly admit its “unforgivable misdeeds” and apologise to the nation.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Congress "manufactured" the theory of "Hindu terror" when in power to stop the rise of Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat chief minister, to "appease its Muslim voters," as it welcomed the acquittal of seven accused in the Malegaon blast case.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded that the discharged accused, former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, should be compensated, and the prosecution apologise for allegedly using torture and planting evidence to frame them.
"The Congress can go to any extent to appease its vote bank. This case was a well-calculated conspiracy of the party for sheer vote bank politics," he said, calling it a "historic day."
Prasad said the Congress attempt to "force" the possibility of Hindu terror organisation and saffron terrorism has fallen flat.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier dismissed questions related to the court verdict as an attempt to detract from real issues as he hit out at the government over US President Donald Trump's critical comments on Indian economy.
Prasad claimed that Gandhi in 2010 had told the US ambassador, according to Wikileaks, that extremist Hindu groups can be more dangerous than the terror outfit LeT.
The Congress leader's claim has fallen flat, and it is he who is running away from truth, he said.
Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, both former Congress presidents, should apologise to the country, Prasad demanded.
Prasad praised Purohit as a brave and decorated officer who fought terrorism in Kashmir and Thakur as a 'sant', and claimed both of them suffered for 17 years due to false charges.
They should be compensated, he said.
Echoing a similar stance, former Maharashtra BJP president and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the Congress should now apologise.
He alleged that the Congress used the Malegaon blast case to malign and harm the Hindu religion, but the court had exposed its malicious intent and gave them a big slap.
BJP leader Keshav Upadhyay also echoed similar views, accusing the Congress of trying to malign the Hindu religion, but said the court’s order had delivered a strong blow to the party.
“The court order exposed the Congress leadership’s agenda against the Hindu religion. Congress leaders, including Sharad Pawar, have used the term ‘Hindu terrorism’, but the verdict has proved that a Hindu can never be a terrorist,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, Prasad cited several cases in which, he said, the then Congress-led UPA government allegedly tried to cover the roles of suspected Muslim accused and terror organisations.
He referred to the cases of Ishrat Jahan, a suspected LeT operative killed in an encounter by the Gujarat police in 2004, Makkah masjid blast case of 2007 and Samjhauta Express blast of 2007.
"The Congress can go to any extent in its vote bank politics," he said.
However, reacting to the statement of Maharashtra CM, the state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the CM has no regrets that lives were lost in the Malegaon blast and the government failed to deliver justice to the victims.
“However, his tweet reveals his political mindset. This is precisely why questions have been raised about the attitude of the investigative agencies. These people view terrorism through a political lens as well. People associated with the BJP and RSS, for their political interests, had even called a brave officer like martyr Hemant Karkare a traitor,” Congress leader stated.
Nearly 17 years after the Malegaon blast claimed six lives, a special court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused, including former Thakur and Purohit, noting there was "no reliable and cogent evidence" against them.
(With inputs from Sudhir Suryawanshi)
