NEW DELHI, Oct 25: Drawing a parallel between BJP and Pakistan’s ISI, Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad today said both “rejoice” whenever communal riots erupt in India as one receives funding from Islamic countries in the aftermath while the other garners votes.
Ahmad also dismissed as “childish” the BJP’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi for his statement that Pakistan’s ISI is trying to lure some Muslims in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar into terrorism.
“Really true ! Whenever and wherever communal trouble erupts in this country two sets of people rejoice. Pakistan’s ISI and India’s Bhajpaei,” Ahmad commented on microblogging site Twitter.
Ahmad also justified Rahul’s remarks that BJP spreads the fire of communalism.
“Rahulji has rightly said so. BJP benefits from communal disturbances by engineering riots. It reached the figure 182 seats in Lok Sabha from its earlier position of only two seats by doing so,” Ahmad told PTI.
The Congress leader emphasised that whenever there is a communal riot in India, Pakistan gets happy as the basic idea of that country is that only people of a particular religion can live in one country.
“Whenever there is a riot in India, Pakistan’s ISI is happy that the idea of India is proving wrong and idea of Pakistan is proving right. ISI also benefits in another form.
“It gets huge money from other Islamic countries in the world in the name of protecting Muslims of India. While it gets money, BJP gets votes due to riots,” he said.
Castigating BJP for “fuelling communal passion”, Ahmad also recited a couplet, saying “Aag to apne hi lagate hain, gair to sirf hawa dete hain (It is our own people who lit fire, others only stoke it).
He said there is nothing surprising in Pakistan and ISI rejoicing over riots in India as they are enemies but it is unfortunate that our own people are spreading the fire of communalism.
The Congress leader’s tweet came a day after Rahul’s claim that intelligence agencies of Pakistan were approaching some victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots to lure them into terrorism, sparking a row with BJP saying that the Congress vice president tried to point the needle of suspicion at Muslims by his remarks.
Rahul made the claim at a poll rally in Indore in Madhya Pradesh yesterday.
Slamming Rahul, BJP interpreted his comments as an attempt to cast doubt over the patriotism of Muslims and demanded that he tender an apology.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has said it has no information about the claim but would verify it.
Rahul said that he had been told by an intelligence official that there was a group of 10 to 15 Muslim youngsters, whose kin were killed in Muzaffarnagar riots, with whom intelligence agencies of Pakistan have established contact.
Rahul claimed that the official told him he was convincing the youngsters not to come under the influence of Pakistani operatives. (PTI)
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