Soft BJP govt in 1999 helped lay foundation of terrorism: Congress over ex-RAW chief's revelations

New Delhi: Latching on to the claims made by former RAW chief A S Dulat, Congress on Friday said a “soft” BJP-led government in 1999 helped lay the “foundation of terrorism” in the entire world by releasing of three dreaded terrorists following hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane.

“Foundation of terrorism not only in India but the entire world (was laid) when three terrorists were let loose by a soft government led by the BJP,” Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan told reporters. Accusing the BJP of practising “false nationalism” and “fake patriotism”, he said it was a fact that the “base” of terrorism not only in India but the world was laid with the release of the three ultras.

He claimed that the terror strike on Parliament as also the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks were the results of the release of the three terrorists. “Congress demands that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP apologise unconditionally to the nation for having aided, abetted and favoured anti-India elements, terrorists and criminals,” the Congress spokesperson said.

“They should apologise for having ensured that terrorists were released and flown to safe havens in Pakistan so that they carry on bleeding India,” he said. Three hardcore terrorists including Maulana Masood Azhar were released in exchange for the freedom of the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999.

The Congress spokesperson said Dulat’s revelations had in effect established that the BJP-led government allowed the hijacked AI Flight 814 to fly away from Amritsar to Kandahar in Afghanistan, in spite of the security agencies in Amritsar being “fully capable and equipped” for carrying out an anti-terror operation.

He said that the then government thereby “permitted” Indian citizens to get killed and wounded by the Taliban. Besides, the released terrorists posed a permanent security threat to the country in shape of ‘Jaish-e-Muhammad’ that Maulana Masood Azhar founded in Pakistan.

“These released terrorists were among those who engineered the attack on Indian Parliament in 2008, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and several other ‘bleeding cuts’ to the nation,” he said. Vadakkan said that “equally dangerous and anti-national” is the help extended to Pakistani terrorist and head of Hizb-ul-Muzahideen Syed Salahuddin to get admission for his son in a Government Medical College.

“Are these acts not ‘anti-national’? Are these acts not ‘anti-India’? Are these acts ’nationalists’?” he asked. Meanwhile, another Congress spokesman Ajoy Kumar noted that senior leaders in the then government were part of the Crisis Management Group which handled the hijack crisis. He said that it needed to be made clear as to under what circumstances the plane was allowed to leave Amritsar and who was responsible for that.

If the plane had been halted at Amritsar, it would have saved the lives of a large number of innocent persons, he said, adding this was because three dreaded terrorists including Masood Azhar were released to secure release of passengers of the hijacked plane. He said that the trade-off proved costly as the release of the three terrorists resulted in the killing of thousands of people with Masood Azhar leading the campaign of hate from Pakistan.

On the Lalit Modi controversy, Vadakkan accused the Prime Minister of “turning a blind eye” to the actions of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. “Directionless governance, absence of accountability, brazen lack of probity and shameless refusal to answer questions have marked the sordid disarray in Modi Government,” he claimed.

PTI