BJP questions silence of PM, Sonia on Shinde`s remarks

A senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the party would continue to demand Shinde`s apology or sacking.

Tiruchirappalli (TN): Questioning the silence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi on Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde`s remarks on terror against BJP and RSS, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu today said the party would continue to demand his apology or sacking. "The allegation made by the Union Home Minister is a serious one. He should withdraw and apologise or the Prime Minister should sack him," he said referring to Shinde`s remarks that BJP and RSS were involved in training their cadre in terror activities.

Naidu, also Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, told reporters here the government would have a "tough" time in the coming budget session of Parliament for making such "irresponsible" comments against BJP, which is ruling eight states and had ruled the nation also in the past. He also said Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were behind such statements made by Shinde. That was the reason why they were silent, he said adding Shinde`s statement had given a fillip to Pakistan-based terrorists. He reiterated that BJP would not participate in any of the meetings convened by Shinde. The government should take a decision on Shinde`s statement against BJP and RSS. On Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, Naidu said he was being projected as a Prime Ministerial candidate only by the media. The BJP`s candidate would be revealed at the appropriate time. On the UPA`s farm loan waiver scheme, he said the CAG had pointed out 20 per cent of the waiver had not reached the beneficiaries. "We will expose and pull up Chidambaram in the next Parliament session," Naidu said. PTI