Bodh Gaya blasts: Joshi slams Digvijaya for dragging Modi

New Delhi: BJP today dismissed Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s suggestion that there may be a connection between Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s call to party workers to teach his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar a lesson and a serial blasts taking place in Bodh Gaya the next day. “Digvijaya Singh has the habit of seeing things where they are not. The Bodh Gaya blasts should be taken seriously. This poses a danger to the cultural and religious ethos of India. It is a serious attack on the country where a place of peace and non-violence has been targeted,” BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters in New Delhi.[caption id=“attachment_939197” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi. PTI[/caption] He said the attack on a Buddhist temple of such significance raises apprehensions of other such places of worship being attacked by terrorists. “Sarnath is in my constituency. There are universities in Nalanda and Sanchi (which may be possible targets in future,” Joshi said. He hinted that the threat is more aggravated as this is an election year. Digvijaya Singh had tweeted: “Amit Shah promises a Grand Temple at Ayodhya. Modi addresses Bihar BJP workers and asks them to teach Nitish a lesson. Next day Bomb Blasts at Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Is there a connect? I don’t know.” Singh maintained that NIA should be allowed to complete the probe into the blasts before drawing conclusions. Modi met Joshi to discuss the serial blasts in Bodh Gaya and the terror threat to the Buddhist circuit as well as Hindu shrines in the country. “The serial blasts in Bodh Gaya have given a new angle to the threat perception across the country. Modi came to discuss this with me. There is a threat also to the Hindu-Buddhist conclaves that are organised often,” Joshi said. BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar maintained that Singh’s comments should not be taken seriously as they have no meaning or significance. “He talks as if he has lost his balance,” Kumar said. PTI