RSS must be declared 'terrorist' organisation: Khan; BJP hits

Bs_logoImage
Press Trust of India Rampur (UP)
Last Updated : Dec 06 2015 | 5:22 PM IST
UP minister Azam Khan today stoked a fresh controversy by demanding that RSS be declared a "terrorist" organisation, accusing it of planning riots and having orchestrated them, drawing a sharp reaction from BJP.
"They have orchestrated many riots and many others have been planned. RSS should be declared a terrorist organisation," Khan said here.
Hitting back at Khan, BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said when Prime Ministers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi could not harm RSS, then people like him were of little worth.
"It's just an effort to create communal tension, appease a section of people and cover up the failures of the Uttar Pradesh government." he said.
He said Khan, Samajwadi Party and Congress suffered from "RSS-phobia" and their rants against it have made no difference to the "nationalist" organisation.
RSS works to integrate country and attach people to their culture, Sharma claimed, adding that Khan and his party represented "fissiparous" forces which believed in the politics of appeasement.
On the Ram Mandir issue, Khan said, "We want to assure BJP and RSS that if Babri Masjid is built at the same place (in Ayodhya) all the Muslims of India will leave no stone unturned for the BJP to come back to power".
BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj ruled out construction of a masjid at the disputed site.
"No power in the world can build a masjid there. The entire world may raise chants of Babri, Babri. A temple was there, temple is there and a temple will be there always," he told reporters.
Khan had earlier sparked a row by accusing Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari of being hand-in-glove with Hindu outfits which were "silent" on his son's marriage to a Hindu though they were vociferously raising the issue of "love jihad".
(REOPEN DEL 54)
Sharma also rejected Khan's contention on the Babri
mosque, saying a temple existed on the disputed site and continues to exist and the only question now was about building a grand temple there.
The high court order in 2010 on the issue had also taken note of the fact that a temple existed there, he claimed.
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories

  • Over 30 subscriber-only stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 06 2015 | 5:22 PM IST