Author: Press Trust of India
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 14, 2006
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=71064
The BJP demanded dismissal of Minority Affairs
Minister A R Antulay and HRD Minister Arjun Singh from their posts for their
alleged remarks in a Cabinet meeting suggesting that Hindu groups faked terrorist
attacks and blamed them routinely on Muslims.
"These are utterly irresponsible statements
from the two Ministers. Both of them are encouraging terrorism and therefore
deserved to be sacked from the posts," BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad
said.
During the Cabinet discussion on Thursday
on government response to the Mumbai train bombings, Antulay had reportedly
referred to a report that a mystery blast in Maharashtra's Nanded in April
was planned by Hindus posing as Muslims, a news report said.
In his comments, the HRD Minister is said
to to have quoted a former Maharashtra judge as having alleged that the botched
terror strike on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur was a Sangh plot.
The BJP also flayed the Centre saying it had
not reacted so far to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's virtual
clean chit to outlawed SIMI.
"Why is the Centre silent? Why is the
Union Home Minister silent? We on our part would like to remind the up Chief
Minister that his own state police have arrested six SIMI activists in connection
with last year's attack on the Ayodhya temple," BJP spokesman Prakash
Javadekar said.
He also recalled the arrest in 2003 of a top
SIMI leader in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP leaders insisted that incidence of
terror has been higher in non-NDA states. "This is because terrorists
know they can get away with their acts in non-BJP ruled states," Prasad
said.
