BJP MPs to corner Ghulam Nabi Azad today over ISIS remark

Trying to turn the tables on the Congress, which has been cornering the Narendra Modi government in Parliament on many issues, the BJP will on Monday rake up Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s controversial remarks against the RSS, comparing the Sangh Parivar fountainhead with the Islamic State terrorist outfit. The BJP, it is learnt, may reiterate its allegation that the Congress leader made these remarks as part of votebank politics as Mr Azad used an event organised by a Muslim body to attack the RSS.

BJP MPs in both Houses will raise the matter and demand Mr Azad’s apology. The RSS reacted by saying Mr Azad drawing a parallel between the ISIS and it only showed the “intellectual bankruptcy” of the Congress. The BJP also demanded the Congress high command take action against Mr Azad if he doesn’t apologise for using these “unfortunate remarks” against a nationalist organisation.

“Mr Azad’s remarks shows the intellectual bankruptcy of the Congress. Earlier too its leaders had hurled allegations at the RSS, blaming it for the Mumbai terror attack, then coining the term ‘Hindu terror’ and alleging that Sangh shakhas were promoting Hindu terrorism, and now (it has) compared the RSS with ISIS. By such a statement, Mr Azad has provided logic and ground to the terror outfit to expand in India and also provided (it) with legitimacy and respectability when it is considered an enemy of humanity,” said RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha.

Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad had said on Saturday at an event organised by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind: “So we oppose organisations like ISIS, the way we oppose the RSS. If those among us in Islam too do wrong things, they are no way less than the RSS.”

Claiming that the Congress leader had “crossed all limits” in his party’s bid to woo Muslims for its “votebank” politics, VHP leader Surendra Jain said Mr Azad had also insulted Muslims by his remarks “by questioning their patriotism”.

“Do they think Muslims in the country sympathise with ISIS They have insulted Muslims of the country with their statement. Congress president Sonia Gandhi should apologise to the nation and try to save her party from imminent decline by throwing Azad out of the Congress,” Dr Jain said.