Chidambaram's remarks on Afzal Guru an insult to soldiers martyred in Parliament attack: BJP

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who held the home and finance portfolios in the UPA government, on Thursday came under attack from BJP for comments attributed to him regarding Afzal Guru, who was hanged after being convicted in the terror strike on Parliament in 2001. [caption id=“attachment_2643536” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] P Chidambaram. AFP[/caption] Reacting to Chidambaram’s remarks, BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma called it “unfortunate”, saying it is an “insult” to the martyrs of Parliament attack and the judiciary. “It is a very unfortunate statement. It is an insult to the soldiers who were martyred in the Parliament attack and also the judiciary,” Sharma said. Chidambaram has been quoted as having said in a newspaper interview that he felt it was possible to hold an “honest opinion” that the Afzal Guru case was “perhaps not correctly decided” and that there were “grave doubts about the extent of his involvement” in the Parliament attack. Afzal Guru was hanged on 9 February, 2013. Chidambaram was Union home minister when Afzal Guru’s mercy plea was rejected by the previous UPA government in 2011. Sharma said it was “height of vote bank politics” that the former Home Minister of the same government which decided to hang Afzal Guru was now questioning his conviction. The BJP leader alleged that Congress has been notorious for supporting terrorists as he referred to questions raised by some party leaders over Batla encounter. “They questioned the martyrdom of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in Batla House encounter. The same Congress government changed its affidavit in Ishrat Jahan case denying that she was a terrorist after admitting it first,” he said. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi must decide if her party is with “traitors” or martyrs, he said as he hit out at Chidambaram. PTI