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Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to divide the country on the issue of terrorism, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said in Jaipur on Wednesday that the party which is giving "lessons" to the government should instead rein in organisations associated with it. "The opposition has no social issue to raise in the polls except terror, terror. They have always tried to divide and rule. They are disturbing the communal harmony and national unity," Gandhi said addressing an election rally in Bhiteba village, in Rajasthan. "How dare they talk of terrorism? It was their leader who escorted terrorists to Afghanistan and Parliament was attacked when their prime ministerial candidate was the home minister," the United Progressive Alliance chairperson said referring to the 1999 Kandhar plane hijack episode. In a veiled attack on Sangh Parvar outfits, Gandhi said "they should control their organisations instead of giving lessons to others.... Terrorism has no religion but it is the country's worst enemy." On the allegation of failure to control the Naxal menace , she claimed the violence by Left wing extremists was rising in states ruled by the BJP. "They have selfish interests. They talks of Naxal violence but it is occurring in the states ruled by them.... They are trying to poison the atmosphere." |
BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday charged the Congress with destroying the social fabric of the country for its vote-bank politics. "The Congress is stoking the communal fire for vote bank politics and ruining the social fabric of the nation for its vested interests," the saffron party leader said addressing a press conference here. Singh also accused the Congress of creating rifts among Hindus, Muslims and Christians by its "pseudo secularism policies" and demanded an enquiry to unravel the "hidden agenda" behind its actions. Alleging that the UPA government has failed miserably in containing the growing terror in the country, Singh accused the Congress of adopting a "heinous strategy" by initiating discussions on Hindu terrorism versus Muslim terrorism to mislead the people and the country. He countered that terrorism has neither religion nor caste and it should not be equated with any community. Singh further said the United Progressive Alliance government is deliberately not taking up any concrete steps to contain the growing menace of terror because of its vote bank politics. |
Photograph: Getty Images
