Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi while stepping up its attack on the Congress said that its top leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi owe an explanation to people over the issue.
A political row broke out on Saturday over an alleged ISIS operative's arrest in Gujarat who worked in a hospital where Congress senior leader Ahmed Patel was a trustee. The BJP accused Congress of "patronising terror" while the Congress hit back by dubbing it as a "sinister conspiracy" due to the former's "trepidation" of defeat in assembly polls.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi while stepping up its attack on the Congress said that its top leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi owe an explanation to people over the issue.
Flagging that Patel was associated with the hospital since 1979, Naqvi said, "It is not mere coincidence that Patel had deep relations with a hospital that also had links with terrorists. Congress should clear its position on patronage to terror".
He went on to say, "Earlier, people used to say that the Congress is involved in corruption, now it is with terror." As the BJP chose to highlight Patel's "deep relations" with Sardar Patel Hospital in Ankleshwar town of Bharuch district, where one of the accused, Qasim Stimberwala, earlier worked as a technician, the Congress slammed the ruling alleging that it resorted to such "sinister conspiracy" due to its defeat in Gujarat.
The two suspected ISIS operatives, including Qasim, were arrested on Wednesday by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS). Latching on to it, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday demanded that its leader Ahmed Patel resign from the Rajya Sabha. Naqvi on Saturday said the BJP was not trying to malign the Congress in view of the Gujarat Assembly polls, insisting the BJP held national security above politics.
Hitting back in Rajkot, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the demand for Patel's resignation is"outrageous" and recalled that the Congress leader was a trustee of the hospital much before and had resigned in 2015 before Qasim joined the hospital as a technician last year.
Congress Communication head, Randeep Surjewala, was acerbic and alleged that BJP resorted to such "sinister conspiracy" due to its "trepidation" of defeat in Gujarat polls. "Is it not true that the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir offered compensation and job to the family of (Hizbul Mujahideen commander) Burhan Wani? Isn't it true that the state government made Asiya Andrabi, involved in anti-India activities, ambassador of 'Beti Bachao' (save girl) campaign?" he asked
Another Congress leader Pawan Khera said Rupani's allegations against Patel was BJP "seeking revenge of its defeat in Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat". Ahmed Patel had earlier rejected the charge as "completely baseless" and urged the BJP not to politicise matters pertaining to national security and divide the peace-loving Gujaratis.
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