Congress leader Khera accuses BJP of links with terror accused

In the garb of nationalism, the BJP is playing a disgusting game to hollow out the country, said Khera, head of the Congress media department.The brutal killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthans Udaipur was a terrorist incident, he said, alleging that Riyaz Attari, one of the main accused, was a BJP member since 2019.In Jammu and Kashmir, villager apprehended two terrorists who were planning to attack Amarnath Yatra.

Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of having links with terrorists and said the saffron party was playing a ''disgusting game'' under the garb of nationalism.

Congress leader Pawan Khera spoke to reporters here as part of the party's plan to hold press conferences across the country over the issue. The BJP has denied these allegations.

"The Congress party has never favoured doing politics on the issue of terrorism. But the way the links of terrorists and criminals with the BJP are coming to light one after another, it has become necessary to ask questions and put facts before people. In the garb of nationalism, the BJP is playing a disgusting game to hollow out the country,'' said Khera, head of the Congress' media department.

The brutal killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur was a ''terrorist incident'', he said, alleging that Riyaz Attari, one of the main accused, was a BJP member since 2019.

''In Jammu and Kashmir, villager apprehended two terrorists who were planning to attack Amarnath Yatra. One of them is Talib Hussain Shah who was an office-bearer of the BJP's minority cell in Jammu and Kashmir. Even Irfan Khan, alleged mastermind of chemist Umesh Kolhe's murder in Maharashtra's Amravati, had campaigned for Independent MP Navneet Rana whose links with the BJP are better known to the media than to me," Khera alleged.

Rana earlier this week denied that she or her husband and MLA Ravi Rana had any connection with the main accused in the Kolhe murder. Khera also cited other examples of terror accused who allegedly had connections with the BJP.

The BJP was trying to divert peoples' attention from critical issues like unemployment, price rise and mismanagement of the economy, he said, adding that the saffron party wanted to create an atmosphere of hatred and seek votes by claiming to be the 'thekedar' (custodian) of one particular religion.

Asked about the use of the term ''Hindu terrorism'', Khera claimed that a former bureaucrat in the home ministry who later joined the BJP was the first one to use it.

''Congress leadership does not favour this term. A terrorist is a terrorist. Terrorism has no colour or religion. Be it Nathuram Godse, Riyaz Attari or Talib Husaain Shah, a terrorist is just a terrorist," he added.

Refuting Congress's allegations, Chhattisgarh BJP spokesperson Gaurishankar Srivas said it should first look at the actions of its own leaders.

"Congress should first ask (party president) Sonia Gandhi why tears were shed after the Batla House encounter incident....Who offered biryani to (Mumbai attack convict) Ajmal Kasab? Those who call stone-pelters their brothers should be ashamed while questioning the BJP on nationalism,'' Srivas said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)