Gadkari defends RSS on alleged terror links of its leaders

Nitin Gadkari came out in defence of the outfit and said the charges against it were an outcome of "vote bank politics".

New Delhi: At a time when RSS leaders are
being linked to some major blasts in the country, BJP
president Nitin Gadkari today came out in defence of the
outfit and said the charges against it were an outcome of
"vote bank politics".

"First, there was talk of involvement of outsiders in
the Samjhauta Express blast, as stated by America also. Now,
saying another thing... it is all vote bank politics," he said
on the probe into the 2007 explosions in the India-Pakistan
train service which claimed 68 lives.

Earlier, Lashkar-e-Toiba was suspected to have carried
out the attack and even the US had imposed sanctions on its
operative Arif Qasmani citing his role in the Samjhauta
Express blast.

"Patriots are projected as trouble causers, whereas
those convicted in Parliament attack case are yet to face the
gallows," Gadkari said while releasing a book `Secrets of RSS:
Demystifying the Sangh`.

He was critical of slain Mumbai ATS chief Hemant
Karkare and said, "I have heard of conversations that were
stored in Karkare`s laptop in which there were plans to kill
the current RSS chief".

He said he had also heard conversations in which
Karkare had labelled RSS leader Indresh Kumar as an "ISI
agent".

His statements come at a time when Kumar`s role is
being probed by investigating agencies in connection with the
Samjhauta Express blast and other terror attacks.

Karkare was killed during the 26/11 operations and
senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh had claimed that the top
police officer feared for his life as he had unearthed the
link of RSS leaders in terror plots in the country.

PTI

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