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Congress concocted ‘Hindu terror’ to halt Modi's rise: BJP after Malegaon blast verdict, targets Rahul Gandhi
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad called the Malegaon case acquittal a "historic day" and demanded compensation for the discharged accused.
Welcoming the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Congress of inventing the "Hindu terror" narrative during its time in power to halt Narendra Modi's political rise and appease Muslim voters.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad called the Malegaon case acquittal a “historic day” and demanded compensation for the discharged accused - former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit.
He also demanded an apology from the prosecution, alleging torture and planted evidence.
"The Congress can go to any extent to appease its vote bank. This case was a well-calculated conspiracy of the party for sheer vote bank politics," Prasad said, according to a PTI news agency report.
Prasad said the Congress's attempt to force the possibility of a Hindu terror organisation, saffron terrorism, has fallen flat.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier brushed aside the Malegaon verdict and criticised the government over US President Donald Trump's comments on the Indian economy, Prasad fired back with a pointed accusation.
He cited a 2010 Wikileaks cable claiming Gandhi told the US ambassador that “extremist Hindu groups can be more dangerous than the terror outfit LeT”.
"The Congress leader's claim has fallen flat, and it is he who is running away from truth," said Prasad, demanding apologies from both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
Malegaon blast case
Nearly 17 years after a blast in Malegaon killed six people, a special Mumbai court acquitted all seven accused, including Thakur and Purohit, citing "no reliable and cogent evidence" against them.
Prasad hailed Purohit as a decorated Army officer who fought terrorism in Kashmir and described Thakur as a 'sant', asserting both suffered unjustly for 17 years due to false accusations.
He alleged that under the UPA regime, the Congress attempted to shield Muslim suspects in multiple terror cases, referencing the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter, the 2007 Makkah Masjid blast, and the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast.
"The Congress can go to any extent in its vote bank politics," he said.
