Congress leader Surendra Rajput on Friday linked former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination to the Centre's controversial Agnipath military recruitment scheme.
Taking to Twitter, the Congress spokesperson said the shooter identified as Tetsuya Yamagami "had worked in Japan’s SDF i.e. Army without pension". "Shinzo Abe #ShinzoAbeShot the shooter #tetsuyayamagami Yamagami had worked in Japan's SDF i.e. Army without a pension," he wrote in Hindi.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shehzad Poonawala slammed Rajput for "doing petty politics over the tragic passing away of Shinzo Abe".
"The official spokesperson of Congress has chosen even the tragic passing away of Shinzo Abe to do petty politics," Poonawala wrote. "I wonder if Sonia & Rahul Gandhi will sack this atrocious person ! Have some limits please," he added.
"You & Congress have lost every sense of morality & decency. From Chanting death to PM, politicising surgical strikes, embracing India abroad, calling Bipin Rawat ji Sadak ka Gunda to this new low ! Pls spare the death of a global leader like Shinzo Abe. think of India pls (sic)," Poonawala said in another tweet.
According to reports, the 41-year-old served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years in the 2000s. He was arrested at the scene of the attack and a gun was recovered from the area.
Yamagami, reports said, was "dissatisfied" with Abe and wanted to kill him. He opened fire at the former PM with an apparently homemade gun. Explosives were also found at the shooter's house, reports said.
A witness told Japan’s NHK World news organisation that Yamagami, a resident of Nara, did not attempt to escape after the shooting. Reportedly, he laid down his weapon and remained on the spot as the security personnel apprehended him.
