A tweet from Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad alleging that the banned terror outfit "Indian Mujahideen was formed after the Gujarat riots" stirred a political storm Sunday with the BJP reacting sharply to it.
"Indian Mujahideen was formed after (the) Gujarat riots (of 2002), says NIA in its charge sheet. (But) Even now BJP and RSS will not desist from their communal politics," Ahmad posted on social networking site Twitter.
Reacting sharply to it, the Bharatiya Janata Party cautioned the Congress against playing with the security of the country.
"I urge the Congress not to play with the national security. I don't know what National Investigation Agency has said... I think the threat to the country's security is more important," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
"Today, there is peace in Gujarat. The growth rate of Muslims in Gujarat is the best in the entire country. But the Congress is playing this kind of rant communal politics. It is only a desperation on their part because they have no answers whatsoever for all the wrongs they have done to India," the BJP leader added.
Another senior BJP leader, Meenkashi Lekhi tweeted: "Shakeel Ahmad seems (to be) justifying (that) IM shares their objective and is sympathetic to their cause."
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BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu was also dismissive of the charge and asked Ahmad to stop arguing in favour of terrorists.
"What is this stupid argument...It has become a habit with some people. These organisations are there since the beginning," Naidu said.
"Pakistan is aiding, abetting, funding and training terrorists. Don't argue for IM and other such (terror) outfits. Some people say because of Bombay riots, some people say because of Gujarat (they have emerged)," Naidu added.
On Wednesday, the NIA filed a charge sheet in a Delhi court against five suspected operatives of Indian Mujahideen for their alleged involvement in hatching a conspiracy to carry out terror strikes in the country.