BJP slams Rahul Gandhi on Muzaffarnagar issue; accuses him of spreading 'falsehood' about riot victims being contacted by ISI

Using government's denial, BJP on Thursday attacked Rahul Gandhi accusing him of spreading "falsehood" about Muzaffarnagar riot-hit victims being contacted by Pakistan's ISI and demanded an explanation from him.

"What Rahul Gandhi was saying was absolute falsehood. This falsehood is the hallmark of the Congress party...He owes an explanation to the nation and to the media. He must tell now and must explain explain why he resorted to this falsehood," BJP Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. He said the "falsehood of Rahul Gandhi stands exposed today" as the government in its written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha stated there was no input suggesting that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI had contacted victims of riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi had stirred a controversy in October, 2013 by remarking that ISI was in touch with the riot victims of Muzaffarnagar and wanted to rope them in for their nefarious designs. "As per the available information from the central intelligence agency, they do not have any input to suggest that ISI had contacted youths of families belonging to minority communities, who were affected during recent communal riots in Muzaffarnagar," Minister of State for Home RPN Singh told Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question.

Delhi Police in January had claimed that two suspected LeT operatives had met two people in Muzaffarnagar region. However, the police denied that the two residents of Muzaffarnagar were riot victims or had anything to do with the violence there.