Speaking to reporters in Nagpur during a public event, Fadnavis accused the then UPA-led government of engaging in vote bank politics. He said that terms such as "Hindu terror" and "Bhagwa Aatankwad" (saffron terrorism) were coined even as terror attacks globally were being carried out by Islamic extremists
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday alleged that the Congress party had deliberately tried to portray Hindus as terrorists following the 2008 Malegaon blast. He claimed that members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and individuals associated with Hindutva were targeted in a calculated manner.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur during a public event, Fadnavis accused the then UPA-led government of engaging in vote bank politics. He said that terms such as "Hindu terror" and "Bhagwa Aatankwad" (saffron terrorism) were coined even as terror attacks globally were being carried out by Islamic extremists. According to him, this narrative was a political tool to malign a particular community for electoral gain, according to the news agency PTI.
Commenting on a former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer’s recent claim that he was pressured to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the Malegaon blast, Fadnavis said the truth behind the case is now coming to light and exposing the larger conspiracy.
His remarks came a day after a special court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. The court observed that there was "no reliable and cogent evidence" against the accused. The verdict has reignited political debate, with the BJP alleging misuse of investigative agencies during the previous regime, and the Congress defending the actions taken during its tenure, citing the severity of the incident at the time, as per the news agency PTI.
Fadnavis said the Hindu terror theory was created to show a particular community that the government was doing a balancing act.
He said this was a conspiracy to target office-bearers of the RSS and Hindutvadis, and some of them were arrested as well. However, no evidence was found against them.
"I think that now their conspiracy is being exposed. Islamic terror was there that time, and is present now as well, but no one said all Muslims are terrorists. However, the Congress had made attempts to make all Hindus appear as terrorists at that time," said CM Fadnavis, reported news agency PTI.
(With PTI inputs)
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