Roots of Pakistan's creation lie in BJP, RSS, alleges Sapkal

Mumbai, Aug 2 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday alleged that the ideological roots of Pakistan's creation lie in BJP and RSS, stating that during India's freedom struggle, the BJP's predecessors were allied with the Muslim League.

He was reacting to the Shiv Sena's protest march held near Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai's Dadar area, where the ruling party demanded an apology from Congress leaders, including former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan for his comments on "Hindu and Sanatan terrorism" while referring to the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

A special court in Mumbai earlier this week acquitted all seven accused in the blast case.

"If they really wanted to take out a march, they should have done it outside Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' residence...The ideological roots of Pakistan's creation lie with the BJP and RSS, not the Congress. When India was fighting for freedom, the BJP's predecessors were allied with the Muslim League, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee was Deputy CM in their government," he said.

"Had the protesters reached the Congress office, the party would have welcomed them with a copy of the book 'Who Killed Karkare?' written by the brother of a current minister in the state government which allegedly links the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) directly to various controversial incidents," he said.

Instead of targeting Congress, the BJP should first explain why no decision has yet been taken by the Devendra Fadnavis-led government to file an appeal in the acquittal of the 2008 Malegaon blast case, unlike in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, where it immediately announced its intent to approach the Supreme Court, Sapkal added.

"Maharashtra deeply respects martyr IPS officer Hemant Karkare. Every year on the 26/11 anniversary, they garland his portrait, and now the same people are making derogatory statements about him. These are the double standards of the BJP," he said.

Karkare headed the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which initially probed the 2008 Malegaon blast case. He was martyred in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Sapkal pointed to the testimony of Rohini Salian, former special public prosecutor of the 2008 Malegaon blast case, who claimed she was pressured to go soft on the accused in the case.

"The Congress does not need a certificate of patriotism from the 'gaddar Sena" (traitor army)," added that the Congress' ideology was responsible for the partition of Pakistan in 1971, not its creation in 1947.

During the protest Shiv Sena leaders, including MLC Manisha Kayande and former MP Rahul Shewale, demanded an apology from the Congress for using "Hindu and Sanatan terrorism" terms in the Malegaon case.

A statement from Shiv Sena said that after the NIA court acquitted all seven Hindu accused in the Malegaon blasts case, the Congress received a major blow to its narrative of Hindu terrorism.

The Eknath Shinde-led party charged that Congress' ideology was appeasement-driven, and accused Congress leaders of defaming Hindus.

"The Congress persecuted Malegaon blasts case accused Pragya Singh Thakur for 17 years, but the court dropped all charges that caused outrage among Congress leaders and they are acting as spokespersons of Pakistan," she alleged. PTI MR NP