Congress hands stained with Muslim blood: Salman Khurshid

New Delhi/Lucknow: The Congress’ Muslim face and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid embarrassed his party on Tuesday by claiming that his party’s hands were stained with the blood of Muslims. And when his party distanced  itself from the remarks, saying it “completely disagreed” with “unfounded” statements that “help the cause” of the party in power, Mr Khurshid tied himself up in knots trying to defend himself.

Mr Khurshid’s controversial comment came during an event at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) when he was asked a question about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and sectarian acts like “the opening of the gates of Babri Masjid, placing of idols, its demolition” and the violence following the demolition in 1992 under the Congress government. “I am a part of Congress. So let me accept that we have the blood of Muslims on our hands. I am telling you this; we are ready to show the blood on our hands so that you understand that you too must not get blood on your hands,” Mr Khurshid said, purportedly telling the gathering to learn from past mistakes so that history is not repeated.

Expanding on his point that if minorities are assaulted, then the hands of the attackers get stained, he said, “If you attack them, you are the ones who would get stains on your hands. Learn something from our history and don’t create such situation for yourself, where if you come back to AMU after 10 years you will find one like you asking the question.”

Even as the Congress tried to distance itself from his remarks, saying, “All leaders must remember that such unfounded statements only help the cause of those in power today who seek to divide the society on caste and communal line to retain and attain power at any cost,” the former foreign minister said his response was meant to “defend” the Congress.

“It was someone who accused us and if someone accuses us, must I not reply?” he said, and then asserted, “What I said I will continue to say. I made the statement as a human being.”

The political damage, however, has been done.

Latching on to Mr Khurshid’s statement, the BJP hit out at the Congress. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister for minority affairs, alleged that the Congress wears the mask of secularism but its character has always been communal.

“The Congress is a history-sheeter as far as communal riots are concerned. It has practised politics of divide and rule while using castes and communities to sow division in society. It created social tensions for votes.

It continues with this tradition,” he further added.

Later, speaking to reporters, Mr Khurshid attacked the media saying that the truth is of no use to the media.

Mr Khurshid also tweeted his anger: “Media saddens. They question right to speak the truth. They distort reply to isolated question by imputing confession instead of reporting ‘despite allegations would you deny our duty to protect you from harm? Sensation-alism for profit?”

According to an agency report, at the AMU event a former student had asked Mr Khurshid, “The first amendment (in Constitution) was in 1948. Then, there was Presiden-tial order in 1950. After that Hasanpura, Maliana, Muzaffa-rnagar and there is a long list of riots under the Congress regime. Then there was the opening of the gates of Babri Masjid, placing idols inside and then the demolition of Babri Masjid while Congress was in power... Congress has Muslims’ blood on its hands.