Union Minister Pralhad Joshi hit back at the Congress party over party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘terrorist party’ remark on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying Sonia Gandhi ‘shed tears’ for terrorists. Joshi further accused Congress-led UPA government of ‘being soft’ on terror convicts like Afzal Guru. 

He asserted that it is only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the nation has experienced a notable reduction in terrorist activities. 

Taking to social media platform ‘X’, the Union Minister said, “Mallikarjun Kharge mistakenly called BJP as Terrorist party by slip of tongue, however it was Sonia Gandhi who shed tears for terrorists who died in Batla House. It was congress which was soft on Afzal Guru. It was congress who repealed POTA in 2004. It was their PM Manmohan Singh who shook hands with Separatist Militants” 

He added that nowadays Kashmiri youth have employment opportunities instead of ‘stone’, which was the case during Congress’s tenure. “As a senior leader, Kharge should double check what he says.” Joshi wrote. 

On October 12, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge strongly refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that the Congress party is influenced by “Urban Naxals.” Kharge accused the BJP of being a “party of terrorists,” holding them accountable for lynchings and serious offenses against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and tribal communities. 

“Progressive people are being called Urban Naxals…this is his (PM Modi’s) habit. His party (BJP) itself is a terrorist party. They engage in lynching, assault people, urinate in the mouths of Scheduled Castes members, and rape tribal people. They also support those who commit these acts, and then they blame others,” Kharge said. 

The BJP condemned the remark, with National Spokesperson C.R. Kesavan criticizing Mallikarjun Kharge for his recent comments. Kesavan accused the Congress party of possessing a “divisive and communal mindset,” akin to that of the “colonial British.”

(with ANI inputs)