Hitting hard at Congress

Cong communalising terrorism: Advani

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi October 16, 2008

BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani has accused the Congress of giving communal shape to terrorism. Addressing the most impressive rally of recent times in Ranchi, the 18th Vijay Sankalp rally in the country, Advani on Wednesday urged the people to vote for a change in Delhi and in Ranchi.

Advani said, "Earlier, terrorists came from Pakistan, but in the UPA regime they are coming from within the country in the name of SIMI."

Blaming the Congress and the UPA for helping terrorism grow for the sake of votes, the senior BJP leader said Afzal Guru would have been hanged by now, but only if he was a Hindu, Sikh or from any other religion.

"Afzal Guru, whose death penalty has been upheld by Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, is not being hanged because he is a Muslim and from Kashmir," said the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He also cited an example of Kerala where Muslim students were being given annual stipend of Rs 14,000 while ST students got only Rs 240 a year.

The former Deputy Prime Minister also came down heavily on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that Muslims have the first right over country's resources. "Only the poor, not based on caste or religion, can have the first right over resources," he said.

"We are not against the welfare of Muslims but the welfare of the poor should not be compromised," he added. While flaying people like Afzal Guru, Advani, however, praised freedom fighter Ashfaqullah Khan.

During his 45-minute speech, Advani ridiculed the JMM and its chief along with Congress party "which always took its support to save its Government in Delhi." Advani dwelled upon several core issues of national importance, including corruption, terrorism and price hike and grilled the Central Government for its total failure.

Advani said, "The UPA Government has nothing to showcase of its four-and-half-year misrule at the Centre except terrorism, price hike and corruption that woefully registered a phenomenal growth." Hitting back at the Congress and the UPA which accused the BJP for playing politics on terrorism, Advani retorted that this was the Congress and the UPA which was playing communal card to save its vote bank.

Referring to his Jharkhand visit twice within a month, Advani said a visit to this State gives him imminence pleasure. He was referring to his stay at Masanjore, where he was kept in detention after his arrest during his famous 'Rath Yatra'.

He also talked about "making and unmaking of Jharkhand". Advani said that NDA formed Jharkhand --- hoping people and the region would avail Susasan (good governance) and develop. "But I feel dismay to see plight of Jharkhand while other two States Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, which were formed along with Jharkhand have made significant development," Advani lamented.

Hitting hard at the JMM MPs for saving the Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh Governments in exchange of money, Advani said it gave Jharkhand a bad name.

He criticised the political parties and leaders for making politics an instrument of making money. Advani said, "We are in the politics to serve the nation not to derive personal benefits. Terming the current UPA dispensation at the Centre the most corrupt and unscrupulous Government; Advani said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ventured to the extreme of corruption by purchasing MPs to save the UPA Government during confidence motion. "Congress tried to allure the MPs with money to save its government and thus vitiated politics," he added.

The BJP prime ministerial candidate cautioned the Congress to learn from its mischief of the past when it could not open its account in the parliamentary elections in Bihar, Uttar Predesh and a host of other States for imposing emergency. "Indian voters might not be very educated but are gifted with right political sense and acumen and they come down heavily upon political parties for their misdeeds," he said.

BJP national vice-president Yashwant Sinha, who also addressed the rally, accused the Prime Minister and the UPA Government for pushing the country in the state of economic disaster. Talking about current political dispensation of Jharkhand, he said that development of the State came to grinding halt as UPA leadership in the State has no vision. "It is matter of a few months when LK Advani would become the next Prime Minister which will ensure the development of Jharkhand also," he said.

Other prominent BJP leaders, including leader to the Opposition in the Assembly Arjun Munda, addressed the rally.