The Congress party is yet again facing the certainty of a total rout in the current round of Assembly elections and the forthcoming 2009 Lok Sabha elections. It has lost the support of all sections of society, including its traditional vote bank of minorities. In utter desperation to boost its electoral prospects and win back the minority vote bank, the Congress party is now playing with fire by creating the fiction of HINDU TERROR that can lead to causing a communal divide in the country.

The party is misusing selective media revelations by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in the Congress-ruled Maharashtra Government as a pre-election campaign material for boosting its sagging fortunes in the current round of Assembly elections. It is well known that the Congress party’s Dirty Tricks Department becomes particularly active before elections. The Congress has a sordid history of always misusing official organizations and institutions such as the CBI and now the ATS for furthering its political agenda. Just before the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, with defeat staring in its face, the then Congress government at the Centre filed a false and motivated chargesheet against Shri L.K. Advani in the ‘Hawala’ case. The CBI’s case collapsed in the Delhi High Court and, subsequently, the Supreme Court also exonerated Shri Advaniji. The St Kitts case against VP Singh and his son Ajeya Singh wherein even a bank account was opened using forged signatures is another example of the Congress strategy to misuse official institutions to politically malign its opponents.

Why the ATS is giving a running commentary on its investigation into the Malegaon blasts case? Why is it planting unsubstantiated information about the involvement of sadhus, sadhvis and swamis with a deliberate intent to malign the Hindu community as a whole, and nationalist forces in particular? If it has any specific evidence, let it be produced in a court of law and seek punishment of the guilty.

Through the blast under investigation happened in 2006, the sudden spurt in the investigation and its timing are indeed intriguing. Why has the Maharashtra ATS suddenly become hyper-active about the Malegaon case, whereas nothing is being heard about the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai local trains in July 2006, in which nearly 200 people died? Will the ATS tell how many have been arrested, how many have been subjected to narco tests, and what are the links of those arrested with jihadi groups in India and abroad? The job of the ATS is to undertake a professional investigation and not become a party to a political agenda.

The Congress must understand the dangers of its policy which can create a communal divide in the country. The implication of Hindu terror fiasco could be far reaching. Atankwaad and Algavwaad are twin products of Congress misrule. The country will never forget in whose regime LTTE got training and then later IPKF was sent to Sri Lanka resulting in loss of over 1000 precious lives of Indian soldiers; whose regime helped ULFA and then created SULFA leading to further turmoil and suffering in Assam; who had an understanding with the naxalites in Andhra Pradesh and now Chhattisgarh; whose regime created Bhindranwale and hailed him as a religious guru and later undertook Operation Blue Star. During the Congress rule, left wing extremism expanded its operations in 13 states and it was during the Congress regime that separatists were riding high in Jammu & Kashmir. In Congress ruled states in the north east region, separatists are running a parallel government. The UPA is disinterested in dealing with the issue of infiltration. The UPA after coming to power, for the sake of vote bank politics scrapped POTA, and did not bother to enact a strong law as a replacement. The UPA behaved in a most lack lustre manner in dealing with SIMI and to impose a ban on it.

These all are clear examples of the Congress following the famous British strategy of Divide and Rule. In the past the Congress has talked about Sikh Terrorism, then Muslim Terrorism and is now trying to talk about Hindu Terrorism. As a result of this, the country’s image is denigrated all over. This short sighted vote bank politics of the Congress party will not only cause immense harm to the nation’s interests but will eventually also boomerang back on it.

The BJP is very clear that whosoever is guilty of executing or supporting terrorist acts must be punished as per law. The BJP does not support or accept terrorism in any form or shade. But we strongly condemn the politicization of the ATS, which is being used as a tool to malign Sadhus, Sanths and Sena. It will certainly face the wrath of the people in the coming elections.

(Shyam Jaju)
Headquarter Incharge