New Delhi: BJP National Spokesperson Rohan Gupta on Tuesday criticised Congress MP Imran Masood and Maharashtra Samajwadi Party chief Abu Azmi over their remarks about “protecting innocent people” in the wake of arrests linked to an alleged terror conspiracy.
Gupta said appeasement politics must not take precedence over justice for innocent citizens who have lost their lives in terror attacks.
Azmi earlier backed Masood’s statement that authorities should ensure that “innocent people” are not arrested during anti-terror operations. Masood’s comments came after police launched a crackdown on an alleged terror plot involving eight suspects, who are said to have links with Pakistan’s ISI and Bangladesh-based radical outfits.
Expressing support for the Congress leader, Azmi claimed that members of the Muslim community were being “deliberately targeted” in the country. His remarks followed Masood’s call for caution while proceeding against those accused in terror-related cases.
“I am not sure who has been arrested. People may spend 20 years in jail and then get released. There is no doubt that strict action is needed against terror, but innocent people should not be arrested. Ensure that those released after long sentences are not wrongly targeted,” Masood told IANS.
The statements triggered political reactions after eight individuals were arrested from different locations in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal for allegedly planning a major terror conspiracy under the direction of Pakistan’s ISI and Bangladesh-based radical organisations.
Responding to the controversy, Gupta told IANS, “Terrorism has no religion. When you start linking religion to terrorism, it becomes a tool for appeasement politics. We have seen before that Opposition leaders made statements labelling the terrorists as ‘misled youth’. For example, during the bomb blast in Delhi, when innocent people were killed, similar narratives were pushed.”
He further questioned the basis of the claims about wrongful arrests. “They should present evidence about who was falsely accused. Why would we forgive terrorists? A terrorist is a terrorist. Is appeasement politics above the innocent people who lost their lives? No, we cannot do that. Terrorists will meet the worst fate in this new India,” he said.
Gupta added that counter-terror actions should not be politicised. “Since terrorism has no religion, whatever action is taken against the terrorists should be accepted by all. There should not be any politics in this,” he said.
On Saturday, security agencies also issued an alert about a possible explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort after Intelligence inputs suggested that the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had drawn up a list of high-profile locations to target in India.
Sources said the coordinated security operation was launched after specific Intelligence inputs were received about a suspected terror module planning activities across various parts of the country.
During the raids, police seized several mobile phones and SIM cards from the accused. These devices are currently being examined to determine the extent and reach of the network.
The developments come in the backdrop of a car explosion near the Red Fort on November 10, in which 13 people were killed, and more than 20 others sustained injuries.
(IANS)
