BJP creating social tension, says Congress

Accusing the BJP and the Sangh Parivar of resorting to "their old tactics to create social tension" ahead of Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Congress today said it would very soon approach the Election Commission against the party's "efforts" to divide people on communal lines.

"With the commencement of Maharashtra polls, the BJP and its affiliate organisations have come forward with its old tactics. They are distributing books and pamphlets seeking to divide people and create tension", party spokesman Anand Sharma told reporters.

He said though the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee had lodged a complaint with the state election commission against the BJP and its sister organisations, the AICC would approach the Election Commission very soon in this regard.

Asked when the party would be filing its complaint before the CEC against the BJP and its affiliate organisations, he said "we are collecting material from all over the state and very soon we will approach the commission".

Sharma said the BJP was "incapable" of contesting polls on "substantive issues and has been running away from substantive debate on these issues".

The Congress also assailed the BJP for breaking a "time-honoured convention" while objecting to "ommission" of cross-border terrorism in the joint Indo-Pak statement issued in new york, describing it as "politically motivated" to "mislead" people.

"The BJP has broken a time-honoured convention not to comment while the Prime Minister is still on foreign soil. It has made critical remarks which has weakened India's stand," the party spokesman told reporters.

He said when the NDA was in power, the Congress as a responsible opposition party had "refrained" from making any comment on the visits by the then Prime Minister.

"Only clarifications were sought after the return of the Prime Minister", he said adding that the BJP's "premature and unwarranted statement about India's firmness on terrorism was politically motivated and aimed at misleading people".

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had clarified that cross-border terrorism was discussed and had reiterated that there was no deviation from the January 6, 2004 understanding reached between India and Pakistan.

Alleging that New Delhi's stand on issues of "vital national interest" has been "diluted" in the Indo-Pak joint statement, the BJP had objected to "omission" of cross-border terrorism and accused Manmohan Singh of allowing the bilateral dialogue to become "J&K centric".

Sharma welcomed US decision to lift sanctions against India, particularly on transfer of technology for peaceful application of space and nuclear fields and described it as a "milestone" in the Indo-US relations.