Congress slams BJP for defending Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday slammed BJP's defence of Amit Shah's "revenge" remark as "justification of communalism", putting the provocative remark alongside revelations that Babri masjid demolition was a planned conspiracy to accuse the rival of peddling a communal agenda. "This is flagrant and crude justification by BJP of Shah's statement. It reflects the communal agenda of India's oldest communal party," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said. Shah, a Narendra Modi confidant, reportedly told leaders of Hindu communities to avenge the Muzaffarnagar riots, a remark seen as provocative given the backdrop of Jat-Muslim clashes that led to thousands of Muslims fleeing the villages with the result of unprecedented religious polarization in western UP. Congress said Shah's comments and BJP's defence had to be seen alongside the sting operation by investigative portal Cobrapost which showed some right-wing leaders saying that bringing down the mosque was a "planned conspiracy". L K Advani called December 6 the saddest day of his life but karsevaks told Cobrapost it was planned, Singhvi said. The upping of ante on Muslim issues shows that Congress sees an opening to consolidate minority support amid fears of division with regional players in states and Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. Jama Masjid Shahi Imam's appeal to the community to vote for Congress appears part of the same exercise. The aggression on BJP-communalism is politically significant given that there have been reservations in Congress about taking up issues that can trigger a Hindu polarization that Modi revels in. The change in the last lap is evident. AICC leaders say the party cannot be seen to be defensive on "communalism" lest it be construed as a feeble response to Modi who remains a big issue with the minorities because of the 2002 riots. It cuts both ways. While Congress can hope to rally the minorities behind its banner, it is a fact that Modi has used such controversies in Gujarat to his advantage. A senior Congress leader said the party has no choice despite knowing the possible pitfalls, when asked if it was walking into a typical Modi trap. Spokesman Singhvi slammed BJP leaders of "hypocrisy", saying while people like Pramod Muthalik of Sri Ram Sene were honest to own up to their acts, senior BJP leaders were shrewd in maintaining a double face. He said BJP's objective was "to swallow up the idea of India like Modi has swallowed up the BJP". source : TOI