New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's description of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a "terrorist party" has evoked sharp reactions. Union minister Prahlad Joshi accused the Congress of being soft on terrorism, referring to terror incidents that took place during the UPA regime. Citing the Afzal Guru case and the Batla House encounter, he said Sonia Gandhi had shown sympathy for terrorists killed in encounters.
Prahlad Joshi wrote on social media, "Mallikarjun Kharge calling the BJP a 'terrorist party' is wrong. It was Congress president Sonia Gandhi who shed tears for terrorists killed in Batla House. Congress had shown leniency towards Afzal Guru. POTA was also repealed by the Congress in 2004. Also, the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government had struck a deal with separatist terrorists."
Joshi further said that it is only during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure that terror activities have reduced significantly. Now the youth in Kashmir have jobs, not stones. He suggested to Kharge to reconsider his statement. Mallikarjun Kharge recently targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rejected his statement in which Modi had said that Congress is under the control of urban Naxalites. Kharge accused the BJP of violence and atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribals.
Kharge said, "The BJP calls progressive people 'urban Naxalites', while itself is a 'terrorist party'. They do lynching, torture Scheduled Castes and Tribals, ill-treat them, and support such people." Kharge also said, "Wherever there is a BJP government, cases of violence and atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribals come to light. And despite this they blame others."
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