The Congress and the Left parties were joined by JD(U) chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday in stepping up pressure on the government to provide evidence to substantiate home minister Rajnath Sin
The Congress and the Left parties were joined by JD(U) chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday in stepping up pressure on the government to provide evidence to substantiate home minister Rajnath Singh’s claim that the JNU campus event to protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru had got support from Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. But unfazed by the Opposition’s demand, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju backed his senior minister, reiterating that there were enough indications to indicate that Hafiz Saeed had backed the incident at JNU.
Mr Rijiju not only rejected the Opposition’s demands for proof, saying that “intelligence inputs can’t be shared or analysed in public”, he also advised the Opposition that “political parties supporting the anti-nationals should learn what is patriotism”. He told reporters: “Intelligence inputs indicated Hafiz Saeed and some related organisations were backing the JNU incident. That is what the home minister had said.”
Mr Rijiju’s comments came hours after Delhi police chief B.S. Bassi on Monday claimed ignorance of any Lashkar link to the JNU protests, saying the police had so far found “no evidence” about this. He said the case may be given to the National Investigation Agency to probe any cross-border terror linkages. Mr Bassi told reporters his investigators had found “no evidence linking” LeT to the incident at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “As and when it comes, it will be shared with the home ministry,” he said.
Stepping up attack on the government, the Congress on Monday came down heavily on the home minister, and accused him of “communalising” the issue and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ask Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to arrest the Lashkar chief over the terror attacks in India. “Rajnath communalising#JNUATROCITY at PULPIT of Pulp Patriotism. Tell PM’s Biryani friend Nawaz Sharief Arrest Hafiz Seed for terror attacks,” tweeted Congress leader Manish Tewari.
In a stinging attack, the CPI(M) said there could not be a “bigger farce” than “Godse-worshippers” putting out certificates on nationalism. “There can be no bigger farce than Godse-worshippers putting out certificates on nationalism,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted. Mr Yechury alleged the government had failed to deal with issues like India’s policy towards Pakistan and the poor economy. “Indo-Pak policy in see-saw, border situation grim, events and jumlas a substitute for serious policymaking. Opposition is ‘anti-national’ Economy in doldrums, Inflation up, Rupee down, agri in distress, jobs down, free run to mobs and Godse-lovers,” the Rajya Sabha member asked.
RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale alleged the Afzal Guru event was the result of a “conspiracy” and those who had allegedly raised slogans in support of Pakistan and the Parliament attack convict were “traitors” and should be charged with treason. Speaking at the Mahanagar Swayamsewak Sangam in Meerut, the RSS joint general secretary wondered how a generation of students indulging in anti-national sloganeering had emerged from an institution known as a temple of learning.
An alleged fake Twitter handle of Hafiz Saeed had on Sunday set off the massive controversy after it said: “We request our Pakistani brothers to trend #SupportJNU for our pro-Pakistani JNUite brothers.” The tweet prompted the Delhi police to swing into action, saying: “This is to alert and sensitise the student community in JNU and across the country. Do not get carried away by such seditious anti-national rhetoric. Abetment of any kind of anti-national activity is a punishable offence.” While the MHA later distanced itself from the tweet, a home ministry spokesman said the home minister’s statement on Hafiz Saeed’s support to the JNU protests was “based on the inputs available from different agencies”.
