New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday hit out at Robert Vadra, businessman and husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, for his controversial remarks after Tuesday’s Pahalgam terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 tourists and injured several others.
“In our country, we see that this government will talk about Hindutva, and the minorities feel uncomfortable and troubled when you have a survey on mosques or you tell people you cannot pray this way or that way… If you dissect this terrorist act that took place, if they (terrorists) are looking at people’s identity, why are they doing this? Because there’s a divide that has come about in our country with Hindus and Muslims and also Christians,” Vadra told ANI.
“Looking at identities and then killing somebody, that’s a message to the PM, because Muslims are feeling weakened. The minorities are feeling weakened…This has to be coming from the top that we feel secure and secular in our country and we will not see this kind of acts happening,” Vadra added.
According to him, such targeted killings on the basis of religion are taking place as there is a Hindu-Muslim divide in the country.
“Until and unless we are successful in sending the message that we are a tolerant society, giving equal weightage to all the religions, such a perception will keep emerging from India’s border states that the minorities in India are vulnerable.”
Though Vadra said that he was saying all this in his personal capacity, the BJP latched on to him.
“Robert Vadra’s remarks are completely condemnable,” BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
“This is the same language that terrorists always use to justify their terrorism. It’s clear from Robert Vadra’s remarks that he wants to do politics on such a gruesome terror attack when the entire country is united against it,” Kohli said, demanding an apology from Vadra.
“On the one hand the Congress president says the party is with the Government while on the other, this Nehru-Gandhi family member says there is a need to go behind its (terror attack’s) root cause,” he added.
The BJP spokesperson said Vadra’s remarks raise questions about whether the party is playing the politics of double standards.
“What kind of justice is he seeking for the victims who the terrorists had shot dead after asking about their religion? The Congress should immediately issue a clarification. Robert Vadra should apologise,” he said.
BJP’s IT in-charge Amit Malviya said Vadra’s remarks were shocking.
“He “shamelessly defends an act of terror, offering cover to the terrorists instead of condemning them,” Malviya said on X.
