Accusing the Congress of “mainstreaming” Maoists, the BJP on Tuesday quoted a letter purportedly seized in police raid alleging that senior Congress leaders were pro-actively funding Maoist activities.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said a letter exchanged by two Maoists on September 25, 2017, mentioned a telephone number that “belongs to none other than Rahul Gandhi’s mentor and Congress leader Digvijay Singh,” he alleged.
He said the letter exchanged between the two left-wing members details that the Congress leaders were “very much willing to assist” and contact number given in the communication is that of Singh, Patra alleged.
“A letter b/w 2 comrades Surendra & Prakash of September 25, 2017, has been found in recent raids. A line in letter reads, ‘Congress leaders are very much willing to assist in this process & have also agreed to fund further agitations whenever such opportunities arrive’,” Patra quoted the said letter.
“In this regard, you can contact our friend on this....number,” the BJP spokesman further referred the letter adding “this phone number belongs to none other than Rahul Gandhi’s mentor & Congress leader Digvijay Singh. Digvijay Singh hasn’t clarified that it’s not his number & thus, has accepted that it’s his,” the BJP leader added.
Patra said Congress-led UPA dispensations did everything to “mainstream” Maoists in the Government and gave them key posts. In this respect, he referred to National Advisory Council (NAC) constituted in the first UPA tenure (2004-2009) which he said was filled with the left-wing activists.
“There are some who have romanticised Naxalism within the Congress party. The biggest example of this was the NAC by the Congress, which was the brainchild of Sonia Gandhi and closest to her. That body was the ground for supporting Naxalism,” the BJP spokesman said.
BJP spokesman pointed to what he called grossly contradictory stand by the Congress where on the one hand the then Prime Minister Manmonah Singh would describe the left-wing extremism as the “biggest threat to the national security” but on the other his Government would back Maoists.
Asked about the action against the Congress leader, Patra said the law would take its own course and none should have any doubt about it.
Asked about the BJP charge, the Congress leader reportedly said that if it was so the Government should arrest him. “Agar aisa hai, to mujhe sarkaar giraftar kare. Pehle deshdrohi, ab Naxali. Isiliye, yahin se giraftar mujhe karaiye,” Singh was quoted as saying.