Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde slams ‘BJP culture’

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has challenged the BJP’s assertion that his letter to the chief ministers asking them to ensure that no innocent Muslim youth is detained in terror cases is unconstitutional and slammed the main opposition for its reaction to the directive.

“I heard that a senior BJP leader has called me shameless…I only want to say that they use such language because this is essentially the BJP’s culture,” Shinde told ET on Tuesday, a day after BJP’s M Venkaiah Naidu said he would ask the chief ministers of all states ruled by his party to throw the home minister’s letter into the dustbin.

Shinde said there was nothing inappropriate about his letter. “There is nothing unconstitutional or wrong in my advice to the chief ministers,” he said. “I wrote this letter because a lot of representations came to me alleging harassment of innocent Muslim youth in the guise of terror suspects… where is any question of vote bank politics in this?” Rubbishing the BJP’s demand for his resignation, he said, “The BJP only wants resignations… let them keep asking for it.”