BJP held protests in various parts of the country, including Delhi, Kolkata, Jammu, Bhopal and Mumbai.
Addressing a rally here at Jantar Mantar, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, "Saffron and terror are antonyms. The Home Minister should take back his words and apologise... Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should apologise and the PM should sack Shinde."
Swaraj said that instead of attacking Pakistan for running terror camps against India, the Home Minister has targeted BJP and alleged it is training terrorists.
New BJP President Rajnath Singh, who also addressed the rally, declared that if Shinde is not removed, his party will continue to press for its demand in both Houses of Parliament in the forthcoming session.
The party also noted that government had given visa to Pakistan's women's cricket team at this juncture.
Swaraj said Shinde has alleged that RSS and BJP are involved in terror activities but when Congress leaders Mahipal Maderna, Gopal Kanda and Suresh Kalmadi were sent to jail, BJP never called Congress a "criminal organisation".
An unfazed Congress and government dismissed the BJP agitation as a "diversionary tactic".
"BJP's agitation is unwarranted, unnecessary. BJP does not have any issues against our government. That is why they are making this non-issue an issue," Union Minister V Narayanasamy said.
Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati called a press conference to condemn Shinde's statement and said it has angered Hindus.
"Shinde holds an important position in the government and the issue relates to his department. He should have made the statement based on the facts available to him, which he did not. He acted in haste which is not correct," she said.(MORE)
