Verdict vindicates our stand: BJP
Hitting out at the Congress for playing “rank votebank politics” on the terror issue, the BJP on Thursday said the Batla House encounter verdict has vindicated its stand that the incident was not “fake.
” While maintaining that the principal Opposition has the habit of criticising it, the Congress said all sections should accept the verdict and guard against speaking “irresponsibly” or politicising the issue so that the morale of police forces is not undermined. Particularly targeting Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who had claimed that the encounter was fake, the BJP said he should now accept his mistake and that he made a false statement.
“Today’s verdict in the Batla House encounter case is assuring in the fight against terror. A brave police officer was killed in the encounter yet a consistent campaign was undertaken that the encounter was fake. Even some Congress minister complained to the government about the case,” BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Referring to the Congress leader, he said a Congress general secretary had even gone to Azamgarh to meet family members of the terrorists who lived in Batla House to question the veracity of the encounter.
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi also attacked Mr Singh on this issue saying “Congress leaders keep giving fraudulent statements. It was obviously playing votebank politics on the issue. Digvijay Singh should accept now that he made a mistake and say that he made a false statement.”
When asked about the reported remarks of Mr Singh that RSS offices are used for training in bomb making, Dr Joshi said, “Even after the court verdict today he has not learnt that he should speak the truth. He should make an effort to tell the facts.”
However, Mr Singh, who had raised questions over the genuineness of the September 2008 encounter in South Delhi, said he “respects the judgement” but stuck to his demand for a judicial inquiry saying it was “fully justified” stand.
Finance minister P. Chidambaram, who was the home minister at the time of the encounter, dismissed the BJP attack, saying it was the habit of the main Opposition party to criticise the Congress party.
“If we say white, the BJP will say black. If the Congress will give some other colour, the BJP will give another colour. I don’t think that is relevant. What is relevant is that the police has been able to prove their case against one accused they were able to apprehend,” he said.
When referred to the doubts expressed by some leaders like Digvijay Singh over the encounter, Mr Chidambaram said they were reflecting the views of families who were affected or the people of that area.
Contending that there is “no sense of vindication or cause of celebration” over the court verdict, Mr Chidambaram said, “I think the accused has the right to appeal and he should use the right of appeal and after that the court will review the evidence again.”
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