Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his cabinet colleague Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday slammed senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for claiming terrorists have no caste or religion, the statement coming in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
The Congress leader's statement had rubbed salt in the wounds of the families who lost their loved ones in the horrific attack, the CM said.
Twenty-six people were gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam in Kashmir's Anantnag district on April 22. Eye-witnesses and survivors in their interactions with media have claimed the terrorists had marked out non-Muslims.
The relatives have clearly said what happened when the terrorists attacked tourists at Pahalgam, the CM said.
Wadettiwar was not even at the spot at the time, the CM pointed out.
"Such statements are like rubbing salt in the wounds of the relatives. This is very bad. I don't know whether to call this stupidity," Fadnavis said.
In a post on X, Bawankule, also the Maharashtra BJP president, termed Wadettiwar's statement as the "height of insensitivity" and said it displays an "anti-national mindset".
"It has been repeatedly proven that Hindus are targeted in Kashmir, so in which world is Vijay Wadettiwar living? By claiming that terrorists have no caste or religion, who is Wadettiwar trying to please?" Bawankule questioned.
"Through his statement, Vijay Wadettiwar is making a disgusting attempt to shield terrorists and provide them protection. This is not just irresponsibility; it is a clear example of an anti-national mindset," he said, adding that every Indian who loves the country must condemn such remarks.
Hitting out at the Congress, Bawankule said the opposition party is rubbing salt in the wounds of patriotic citizens.
People will not forget this, the senior BJP leader warned.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Wadettiwar said, "We are being told that terrorists ascertained religion and then killed people. Do terrorists even have so much time to go close to someone and whisper in ears? It is highly controversial, because some are claiming such things did happen while others are denying it. Do not plan anything around it. Terrorists do not have caste or religion."
It is wrong to divert attention from the original issue of the terrorist attack and reasons behind it, he said, adding "we consider that such attacks are on the country and there should be a befitting reply".
He said the government must take responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.
"Why was security not there? Was there no intelligence failure? Is this not the failure of government? No one talks about that," Wadettiwar asserted.
The Congress leader, however, later issued a clarification.
"Basically the terrorists came and they killed our people. If they have ascertained religion before killing people, they did it with a purpose to destabilise the country. Their aim is start fight between two major communities in India and eventually causing major losses. The terrorists insistence to recite Kalma is actually a strategy of Pakistan to damage India. Nobody should be allowed to destabilise the country," Wadettiwar asserted.
The Congress leader also came under attack from Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora who said when Indians are killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, Wadettiwar's first instinct is to defend Pakistan, just like when he claimed that Pakistani bullets didn't kill Hemant Karkare during 26/11".
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