MUMBAI: The Maharashtra state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitin Gadkari, yesterday refuted charges leveled by several Muslim organizations holding Sangh Parivar, an umbrella organization of four Hindu extremist parties, the BJP, Bajrang Dal, Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), responsible for serial blasts in the country. “The RSS could never be likened to the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI),” Gadkari said.
“There can be no comparison between the Sangh Parivar and terrorist organization like SIMI. The terrorist group would not have been banned had it not been a terrorist organization,” said Gadkari.
Gadkari was reacting to the statement made on Wednesday by 21 Muslim organizations that had come together to condemn the terrorist attacks in Delhi recently. However, they alleged that the so-called Indian Mujahedeen, which had claimed responsibilities for the serial blasts, was none other than fictitious organization. The organizations had demanded to examine the role of the Sangh Parivar in the blast case.
Giving a clean chit to the Hindu extremist outfits, Gadkari said “The Sangh Parivar had never been involved in terrorist activity and history can prove that. We are against the terrorists and not the Muslim community as a whole. Islam is a religion and RSS is not against any religion.”
In another development, Gadkari demanded an Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) inquiry into he misappropriation of funds in the chief minister and prime minister’s packages. Addressing reporters here yesterday, Gadkari alleged that there was misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs.150 crore in the Rs.1,075 core package announced for the six farmers’ suicide prone district in Vidarbha.
“We demand that since the government funds were misappropriated, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh should appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate a CBI inquiry in the matter. If the government fails to take any action, we might even move to the court,” Gadkari said.
