Mumbai, Nov 14: NCP chief and Union Agriculture
Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday accused BJP of politicising the
Malegaon blasts probe "fearing the party would stand exposed
before the country."
Addressing a public meeting organised jointly by Congress
and NCP, Pawar said BJP had earlier charged Congress with not
taking strict measures to tackle terrorism. But now when the
Maharashtra ATS is investigating the Malegaon blasts case, "I
wonder why BJP is now troubled. It is because during the
course of investigation some people who follow their ideology
have been arrested," he said.
Pawar said Hindu religious leaders never preach violence
against others and the Indian military is the most secular
organisation.
Terrorism has no religion and nobody should support those
who indulged in terror activities. Follwing the arrest of
certain individuals in the Malegaon blast case, its wrong to
defame Hindu religion and the military, Pawar said.
He said terrorism and the trend of bomb blasts began in
India after the demolition of Babri Masjid and outside India
after the US invasion of Iraq, which destroyed its
sovereignty.
He said there was a need for secular forces to be united
to face the challenges of fundamentalism and terrorism.
Pawar charged the media, especially the electronic media,
with exaggerating incidents of violence in Mumbai and some
parts of the state during the MNS agitation against the north
Indians.
Pawar alleged that TV crews accompanied the group which
attacked north Indian students appearing for the Railway
examination at two centres and captured the violence on their
cameras.
Similarly, when stray incidents of taxis being damaged
happened, TV crews were present on the spot. "Is the
electronic media serving the country in this manner? I am told
that by showing such kind of incidents, the channel TRP rise.
Please do not do such things and hold ordinary citizens to
ransom. If you are bothered about TRPs, I will speak to some
industrial houses to give you more advertisements and help you
to boost your revenues."
Mumbai is the city which mirrors the secular and diverse
culture of the country. The issue of 'Marathi Asmita' arose
now because of a family feud, Pawar said without naming the
Thackerays.
"If you can't keep your house united, you should not
trouble others," he said without naming Shiv Sena chief Bal
Thackeray and his estranged nephew Raj Thackeray.
Pawar expressed confidence that people would crush
divisive tendency through the ballot box. He said Maharashtra
has a rich culture of providing towering leadership to the
country who kept the nation's interest above their own.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh congratulated the ATS
team saying that investigations into the Malegaon blasts case
was on the right track. He said the people who defame the
Muslims on the issue of terrorism will now stand exposed.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008, 00:00