'Attempted to portray Hindus as terrorists after 2008 Malegaon blast': Fadnavis hits out at Congress

Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged on Friday that the Congress party attempted to portray Hindus as terrorists following the 2008 Malegaon blast. He claimed that officers from the RSS and Hindutva supporters were deliberately targeted.

Speaking to reporters during a program in Nagpur, Fadnavis accused the then UPA government of engaging in vote bank politics. He stated that they introduced terms like "Hindu terror" and "Bhagwa Aatankwad" (saffron terrorism) at a time when the world was facing attacks from Islamic extremists.

When asked about a former ATS officer's assertion that he had received orders to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the blast case, the chief minister responded that the conspiracy behind the case is being unveiled to the public.

A special court in Mumbai had acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Purohit, in the blast case, citing a lack of "reliable and cogent evidence" against them.

Fadnavis argued that the theory of Hindu terrorism was fabricated to create the impression that the government was trying to balance communal tensions. He emphasized that it was a conspiracy to target office-bearers of the RSS and Hindutva supporters, some of whom were arrested, but no evidence was found against them.

He concluded by stating, "I believe that this conspiracy is now being exposed. Islamic terrorism existed then, just as it does now, but no one claimed that all Muslims are terrorists. However, the Congress attempted to make it seem like all Hindus were terrorists at that time."

(With PTI inputs)