Congress attacking Nitin Gadkari to deflect attention from Afzal Guru: BJP

The BJP today continued to target the Congress on the Afzal Guru issue saying the ruling party was attacking BJP president Nitin Gadkari to deflect attention from the "delay" in hanging of the Parliament attack convict.

"Congress has been dilly-dallying on the issue to deflect attention from the question of Afzal Guru's hanging. The main issue here is Afzal and when will he be hanged but Congress wants to make Gadkari the main issue," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

He said Gadkari had only asked the reason behind the government's benevolence towards Afzal and why he was being treated better than a "guest would be treated in an Indian home".

"While opposing Gadkari, Congress has ended up supporting Afzal. It appears to be defending the Parliament attack accused in this controversy," Hussain said.

The Bhagalpur MP demanded that the government should make it clear as to when it was going to hang Afzal.

"It should respond as to why there is a delay in his hanging," he said.

Gadkari had raised a storm by asking the Congress whether Afzal was its son-in-law that it was not hanging him. The Congress retorted that the BJP president should be sent to a "psychiatric facility".