Nagpur: Hours after the acquittal of all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hailed the order and said that terrorism was never saffron and will never be.
“Terrorism was never saffron, is not and will never be,” Mr Fadnavis posted on X.
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Later, speaking to reporters, Fadnavis mounted a sharp attack on the Congress and demanded an apology for “coming up with a false narrative of saffron terrorism”.
“The court’s verdict to acquit all the accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case exposes the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s conspiracy to insult Hindus by coining the term saffron terrorism,” Fadnavis said after the special court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases delivered its decision.
Deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde said the term “saffron terrorism” was part of Congress’s conspiracy to defame the Hindu community.
“Hindus can never engage in anti-national activities, because patriotism is a sacred duty for those who follow Hinduism. The absurd term “Hindu terrorism” was coined by conspiratorial Congress leaders. What answer do they have now for such blatant falsehoods?” Shinde said.
“The stigma on the Hindu community has been wiped off. The slogan “Say with pride that we are Hindus” will now resonate across the country with a hundredfold louder voice. Truth may be troubled, but can never be defeated,” Shinde added, crediting the verdict for ending a dark chapter.
The Congress hit back, linking the court verdict to investigators botching up the case under political pressure. Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal also asked if the State Government would appeal against the verdict the way they did when the 12 convicted for the 2006 Mumbai train bombings were acquitted by the Bombay high court on July 21.
“These people even view terrorism through a political lens. Those associated with the BJP and RSS had, for their political gain, labelled martyr Hemant Karkare a traitor. Wasn’t it the same political mindset that led to (special public prosecutor) Rohini Salian being asked to take a lenient stand against the accused and slow down the investigation? Witnesses were enticed with offers. A witness like Randhir Singh was even given a ministerial position in Jharkhand,” said Sachin Sawant, senior spokesperson, Maharashtra Congress.
State Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule said the verdict of the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in the Malegaon bomb blast case was not merely a judicial decision but an exposure of a long-running political conspiracy to defame.
Nearly 17 years after the Malegaon blast claimed six lives, a special court here on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, noting there was no reliable and cogent evidence against them.
