A day after the Home Ministry said in the lok Sabha that it had no clue regarding the whereabouts of Dawood Ibrahim, the Opposition led by the Congress raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and said such a statement had tarnished India's image in the international fora.
Bringing up the issue during Zero Hour, leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said successive Governments have all along maintained, since the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, that Ibrahim was the mastermind and was hiding in Pakistan. Proof regarding the same was given to the international community besides Islamabad.
However, the Home Ministry’s statement in the lower House had damaged India's image, Azad claimed and demanded a clarification from the Home Minister.
He also said during the run up to the general elections last year, the BJP often levelled charged against the UPA Government that it had failed to bring back Ibrahim to India to stand trial for the serial blasts and other crimes. Therefore, such a statement in Parliament was a serious issue, he said.
Several other members including Ritabrata Banerjee, Tapan Kumar Sen, Sitaram Yechury (all CPM) and Pavan Kumar Verma (JD(U)) associated themselves with the issue raised by Azad and sought a statement by the Home Minister on it.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Dawood is a culprit of India and its people. "He is a terrorist and is in Pakistan," he said adding the Home Minister would come to the House and he would urge him to provide detailed information on the issue.