BJP Said Congress Disrespecting Muslims

 BJP on Tuesday said Congress was "shedding crocodile tears" over Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's conviction and accused it of raising the issue of Hindu and Muslim terror to deflect attention from "real terrorism".

"BJP and our president Nitin Gadkari have only placed the common belief on the Afzal Guru case before the people. But the Congress is shedding Afzali (sic) tears and in the process disrespecting the patriotism of crores of Indian Muslims. No Muslim in India supports terror," party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Gadkari had created a controversy recently when he asked the Congress whether Afzal was its "son-in-law" and this was preventing it from hanging him. BJP has often accused Congress of delaying Afzal's hanging for minority appeasement.

Naqvi said while on one hand the Congress and its leaders, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, were maintaining a "conspicuous silence" on the Afzal case, on the other some of their leaders were raising the "bogey" of Hindu and Muslim terror.

"Unfortunately, the Congress is bent on deflecting attention from real terrorism and its all round failure in controlling separatists, naxals and terrorists by raising such issues," Naqvi said.

BJP and the Sangh Parivar have been on the backfoot ever since the names of some RSS activists have figured in the list of suspects in the Mecca Masjid and other blast cases.

When asked about Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh's comments against Gadkari, Naqvi said, "Congress leaders should be concerned about their party. We never asked them why they could not get a president from India and had to import one from abroad. What has been her contribution till now?"

He alleged that Congress' attitude towards Gadkari was a "sign of fear" in their minds about the BJP President.

The Rajya Sabha MP also questioned the Congress as to why it felt that hanging Afzal Guru would create a law and order problem in the country.

"By labelling the call against terrorism as a call against Muslims, the Congress is disrespecting crores of Muslims," he said.