Congress likens BJP and al Qaeda for polarising population

Ajay Maken, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, said that the party condemns anyone who is vitiating the atmosphere.

Bengaluru

Congress leader Ajay Maken targeted the controversy courted by Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday over his conflicting statements on an accident which was given communal colour despite the Bengaluru police chief clarifying the details of the incident. (HT Archives)

The Congress party on Thursday compared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Al-Qaeda, the banned terrorist organisation for polarising the population and vitiating the atmosphere by taking extreme positions for their respective religions.

Ajay Maken, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) said that the party condemns anyone who is vitiating the atmosphere.

While condemning the statement of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri on Tuesday over the Hijab, Maken said: “The second thing, in the same vein we would condemn the behaviour of the home minister of Karnataka also because both of them are doing the same thing. Both of them with their statements are polarising and vitiating the atmosphere of the country.”.

The Congress targeted the controversy courted by Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday over his conflicting statements on an accident which was given communal colour despite the Bengaluru police chief clarifying the details of the incident.

“Karnataka has a composite culture and that is why Bengaluru and Karnataka is the most favoured destination for businessmen, investors throughout the world. Please don’t polarise this atmosphere. And the BJP or the Al-Qaeda, whosoever is polarising this atmosphere is not only vitiating the atmosphere but also damaging the economy of Karnataka,” Maken said in Bengaluru.

The statements come a day after a nine-minute video of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the chief of Al-Qaeda, surfaced on Tuesday on the Hijab. In the video, the chief of one of the biggest terror outfits praised Bibi Muskan Zainab Khan, a college student from Mandya who took a prominent part in pro-hijab protests and became known for shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans to counter a group of boys who were chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

Earlier in the day, Dr Ashwath Narayan, Karnataka’s minister for higher education had stated that no one should “underestimate” or think of the population as “helpless”.

“We are Indians first. Before Dharma, we are Indians and Kannadigas. We have the culture and ideology of Vasudaiva Kutumbam are people of the world as Kuvempu said. But because of this do not underestimate us or think of us helpless,” the minister said.

It remains unclear who the minister was referring to when he made the remarks but said that the Congress party leaders Siddaraaiah should condemn the statements.

“World’s most wanted Terrorist Organization Al Qaeda supports Hijab in Indian Schools. World’s most Communal Organization CONgress also supports Hijab in Indian Schools. Who is more dangerous? Al Qaeda or CONgress?” the state unit of the BJP said in a post on twitter.