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NEW DELHI: (AMN) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has embroiled in controversy once again. His alleged remarks against the danger of Hindu terrorism have given enough ammunitions to the votaries of Hindutva to attack him.
According to the latest WikiLeaks revelation posted on the website Rahul Gandhi has allegedly told US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that the growth of radicalised Hindu groups posed a bigger threat to the country than militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba,
The leaked American diplomatic cable says that Rahul, during a conversation with the envoy at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009 in honour of visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also referred to the tensions created by some of the more polarising figures in the BJP such as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
WikiLeaks, information suggest that the Rahul shared his views with Roemer on a range of political topics, social challenges, and electoral issues for the Congress party in the next five years.
The cable also noted that Rahul told the ambassador there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India’s indigenous Muslim community.
"Gandhi, however, warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," the leaked cable said.
Meanwhile congress party on Friday clarified that Rahul Gandhi believed that terrorism of all kinds were a threat to India. "Rahul Gandhi’s view is that terrorism and communalism of all types is a threat to India. We need to remain vigilant against acts of terrorism of all kinds, no matter who commits them," Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement.
Another party spokesman Manish Tewari, who read out Dwivedi’s statement, said that "terrorism had no religion or community".
"Fighting terrorism is the duty of every Indian. Congress always believes in this," Tewari said.
Reacting over Rahul reported Hindu terror remark BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said: "In one stroke, Rahul Gandhi has sought to give a big leverage to the propaganda of all terror groups operating from Pakistan and certain segments of the Pakistan establishment."
He described Rahul’s comments as "irresponsible". "If he sees a fringe radical Hindu group as the biggest threat in spite of so many terrorist attacks including 26/11 in which involvement of Pakistani groups is confirmed, then it only underscores how ignorant he is about India and its problems," he said.
The RSS too termed Rahul remartk as shocking, saying there was a race in the senior Congress leadership to project Hindus as terrorists.
Senior RSS leader Ram Madhav said, "It is shocking that there is a race in the senior Congress leadership to indirectly or directly support jehadi terror and to project Hindus as terrorists in this country, that too in gross violation of established diplomatic norms and procedures."