Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal demand apology from CIA for 'militant religious outfits' tag, threaten protests

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal have criticised the ‘World Factbook’ published by the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for classifying the groups as “militant religious outfits”. [caption id=“attachment_3804267” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The VHP on Friday demanded an apology from the CIA and threatened protests worldwide if the tag is not removed. In a statement, the VHP called the classification in the CIA’s World Factbook as “objectionable”, “disrespectful” and “non-factual”. It said the CIA, which was responsible for the creation of Osama bin Laden, had no rights to comment on the saffron outfit that worked for India’s welfare. VHP leader Surendra Jain said there were “vested interests” behind the move and the CIA’s “anti-India mindset” could be seen from the fact that some parts of Jammu and Kashmir were shown in Pakistan in the maps used in the Factbook. He urged the Indian government to take up the matter with the US government in order to pressure the CIA to “rectify the errors”. The Print quoted Manoj Verma, national convenor of Bajrang Dal, as saying, “This came to our notice a few days ago. We are consulting experts and seeking legal advice to counter this.” Another Bajrang Dal leader was also quoted in the report as saying, “Why would any intelligence agency cite our organisations as being militant? Who gave them the right? We have international branches as well but we’ve never troubled anyone. We are nationalists. We will see what can be done to get this right.” The two groups’ leaders have said that they are just cultural and nationalist groups, and have urged the central government to take up the matter with the US government. With inputs from IANS