Ishrat row: Congress backs terrorists, says Kiren Rijiju

The war of words between the NDA government and the Opposition Congress continued on Sunday with minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju accusing the Congress of being sympathetic towards terrorists and separatists.

Mr Rijiju refered to the statements made by former home secretary G.K. Pillai on controversial Ishrat Jahan case saying these statements “reflect the true intention and mindset” of the party. “It’s a tragedy that the Congress is proved to be a sympathetic party of the terrorists and separatists. “The disclosure of the facts by former home secretary G.K. Pillai depicts the true intention and mindset of the Congress party as to how much UPA government went out of way to protect a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba aide,” he said in a statement.

Mr Rijiju was reacting to Mr Pillai’s reported statement in the media claiming that the reference to Ishrat as part of a terrorist group was ommited due to ‘’political interference’’.

Mr Pillai later told the media that as home mnister during the UPA government, Congress leader P. Chidambaram had recalled the file a month after the orginial affidavit, which described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives, was filed in SC.”

Mr Rijiju alleged that the then home minister has also shown Congress’ sympathy for Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru and his acts “by criticising the judicial process”.

He claimed that another senior minister of UPA government had openly and proudly disclosed how Congress president “Sonia Gandhi cried for the killed terrorists of Batla House encounter”.

The minister alleged that “going one step further Rahul Gandhi has openly supported the separatists and Maoists” by joining their sponsored protests in JNU campus.

“The Congress party will be directly responsible for the growth of all terrorists organisations in India.

“It’s time for Congress party to apologise before the nation for humiliating martyrs and their family members,” he said.