'Cong trying to woo back Muslims after Bush visit'

Terming as disgraceful the disruption of parliamentary proceedings, BJP slammed it as an attempt to woo back Muslim supporters.

Terming as "disgraceful" the disruption of parliamentary proceedings by non-NDA members on the Godhra issue, BJP on Monday slammed it as an attempt by the Congress to woo back its Muslim supporters in the aftermath of US President George Bush's visit.

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"It is perhaps for the first time that members of the ruling party have stormed the well of the House and disrupted proceedings," party spokesman VK Malhotra told reporters in New Delhi.

"It is the same Congress which had once accused us of wasting valuable Parliament time and money and made Rahul Gandhi sit near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in protest", Malhotra said.

Criticising the Government for making public the report without tabling it in Parliament, he recalled that after the interim report of the UC Banerjee Committee was made public ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA not only won in the state but also swept the Gujarat civic polls.

"Even the Muslims in both states did not vote for the Congress. The Banerjee report being made public when the Supreme Court is monitoring the probe and Nanavati Commission is investigating the matter shows the race for minority votes, particularly in the wake of the large scale protests by Muslims against the Bush visit", he said.

He also reiterated the party's charge that the Indo-US nuclear deal "as it is before us" is not in India's interests.