A day after the controversy over Congress President Rahul Gandhi referring to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as ‘Ji’, prompting an instant attack by BJP, the opposition party has hit back. Congress has pointed out to a video of Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying something similar.
Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted a video of Union Law Minister in which he was calling Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed as ‘Hafiz ji’. Priyanka Chaturvedi shared the video with the hashtag, #BJPLovesTerrorists, and wrote, “Hope this finds pride of place in BJP‘s revamped website, as & when it returns. BJP‘s admiration of Hafeez Saeed&his ilk. Also reminds us how they sent their special emissary to Pak, Ved P Vaidik, to have a dialogue with him & hug him. Hugplomacy began from there.”
In another tweet, she shared a picture of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval accompanying Jaish chief Azhar, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, who was released along with two other terrorists following the hijack of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. On Sunday, the Congress President also tweeted same pictures and questioned the BJP for releasing the JeM chief.
On Monday, Ravi Shankar Prasad had criticised Rahul Gandhi for calling Masood Azhar “ji” and tweeted, “Come on Rahul Gandhi Ji! Earlier it were the likes of Digvijay Ji who called Osama Ji and Hafiz Saeed Sahab. Now you are saying Masood Azhar Ji. What is happening to Congress Party?”
While addressing the party’s booth presidents in national capital’s Indira Gandhi Stadium, Rahul Gandhi while hitting out at the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said, “Over 40 security personnel died in the Pulwama terrorist attack in Kashmir for which the responsibility was owned up by Pakistani terrorist outfit Jaish-E-Mohammed.” “It may be recalled that the chief of Jaish, Masood Azhar ji, who was in an Indian jail, was taken to Kandahar by NSA chief Ajit Doval during the previous BJP government, and set him free,” he said.
