Row over Shakeel Ahmed's Indian Mujahideen comments continues

NEW DELHI: The row over Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed's comments linking birth of Indian Mujahideen to 2002 Gujarat riots refused to die down with BJP today slamming it as a bid to "use terror" for votes and questioned if Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh endorsed these views.

Ahmed, however, got backing from Minority Affairs Minister Rehman Khan and Congress leader Digvijay Singh even as he met party chief Sonia Gandhi in the wake of controversy.

Ahmed, who is believed to have explained his position to Gandhi, accused BJP of diverting the nation's attention from NIA's "observations" on the creation of IM.

"By dramatised hue & cry, BJP spokespersons are trying to make it my statement simply to divert the nation's attention from NIA's observations," he wrote on Twitter.

His remarks have not gone down well in the party, which distanced itself from the same yesterday.

Slamming the comments, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here that "the Congress wants to muster votes even in the name of terrorism... Congress leaders are eulogising terrorism."

Hussain's colleague Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Congress was trying to "legitimise" Indian Mujahideen and terrorism.

"At a time when the country is fighting terrorism, Congress is trying to support terrorism," he said.

"We will like to have comment from Rahul Gandhi or the Prime Minister as to whether they support the views of Shakeel Ahmed," he said.

While the attack continued, Ahmed got support from the Minority Affairs Minister who said he had quoted from NIA chargesheet.

"Suffering has taken place. There is anger among Muslims. Anger is prevalent. It is obvious," Rehman Khan said.

Khan, whose recent demand for special panel to supervise terror cases against Muslims had stoked controversy, said there is anger among Muslims over Gujarat riots.

Muslims, he said, are largely victims of riots and linked to terrorism by default.

At the same time, he added that two wrongs did not make a right and terrorism should not be justified.

"There are many angles to it. Pakistan and ISI are involved. Government should tackle it (terrorism) in a way that does not divide the society," he said.

Digvijay Singh said Ahmed is an "experienced" leader and "he must have made the comments after proper thought."

Ahmed had kicked up a controversy by writing on Twitter on Sunday that "Indian Mujahideen (IM) was formed after the Gujarat riots, says NIA in its charge sheet. Even now BJP and RSS will not desist from their communal politics?"