New Delhi, Jan 24: BSP chief Mayawati today slammed Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his Hindu terror remarks saying he made the statement in “haste” and asked him to place the facts before courts to let judiciary take a decision in this regard.
“Shinde holds an important position in the government and the issue relates to his department. He should have made the statement based on the facts available to him, which he did not. He acted in haste which is not correct,” she said. Mayawati said following the statement, Hindus were “very agitated and very angry”.
“If he had actual facts, he should have presented those before courts and allowed it to take a decision...several cases related to terrorism are pending before courts across the country,” she said.
Stressing that all religions should be respected, she said statements which are not based on facts and hurt sentiments, especially those of Hindus, should be avoided. “It would have been better had he himself not raised the issue and left it to the courts,” Mayawati told reporters. She was replying to a question on the remarks made by the Home Minister in Jaipur on Sunday last during an AICC session.
“Reports have come during investigation that BJP and RSS conduct terror training camps to spread terrorism...bombs were planted in Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and also a blast was carried out in Malegaon.
“We will have to think about it seriously and will have to remain alert,” he had said at the AICC meeting. His remarks had drawn angry reaction from RSS and BJP which today held protests in various parts of the country to demand his resignation. They said such statements were “dangerous” and accused Congress of indulging in “destructive politics”.
Mayawati claimed that whenever assembly or Lok Sabha elections are near, BSP is targeted by its political opponents to damage its prospects.
She said “old allegations” which have already been investigated by various agencies were being highlighted again in the media ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to an e-mail sent by an English daily to her seeking response to a news item it plans to do on assets owned by her and senior BSP leaders, she denied any wrongdoing. Mayawati claimed while earlier her younger brother Anand Kumar was targeted, now allegations were being levelled against party General Secretary Satish Mishra and the business interests of his son Kapil.
Asking media to shed its “casteist mindset”, she asked whether there had been any media investigation into the businesses being carried by BJP and Congress leaders, including the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
She claimed that while NDA government used the Taj Corridor case to target her, Congress dragged the matter before she got a reprieve from the Supreme Court.
