Congress MLA's 'Ajmal Kasab Innocent' Remark Invites BJP's Fury: 'No Wonder Pak Praying For Rahul Gandhi'

lok sabha election: congress mla vijay wadettiwar’s 26/11mumbai attacker ajmal kasab innocent’ remark invites bjp fury: ‘no wonder pakistan praying for rahul gandhi’

New Delhi: A remark by Maharashtra Congress leader appearing to suggest 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab was “innocent” has come under intense criticism from the BJP, with the party alleging that the Grand Old party was looking to seek votes from Pakistan.

“What is their (Congress’s) condition? Are they going to Pakistan and asking for votes. After we gave ticket to Ujjwal Nikam, the opposition leaders are saying that he defamed Kasab. He is worried about Ajmal Kasab who carried out the Mumbai blasts,” said Devendra Fadnavis, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister in the Maharashtra government headed by Eknath Shinde.

Vijay Wadettiwar, who is the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, has stoked a huge controversy after he alleged that the bullet that killed Hemant Karkare came from the weapon of an “RSS-linked cop” and not from Ajmal Kasab. The information was “suppressed” by Ujjwal Nikam, he said. Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai Terror attack case, Ujjwal Nikam is BJP’s candidate from Mumbai North Central.

“My question is: why BJP is protecting a traitor and nominating such a person for the Lok Sabha polls? By doing this, BJP is protecting traitors,” he alleged, according to The Times of India.

Nikam termed the statement “an insult to the victims of the 26/11 attacks”. “What a reckless statement is being made. I am pained by such baseless allegations, raising doubts over my integrity. It clearly reflects the level of electoral politics. I never thought politicians will stoop to such low levels. For political gain? He (Wadettiwar) is insulting not me, but the 166 departed souls and all the persons injured in the 26/11 attacks,” he was quoted as saying by TOI.

Shehzad Poonawala, who is BJP National Spokesperson, said that Congress was “putting vote bank politics over nationalism”

“No wonder Pakistan is praying for Congress and Rahul (Gandhi). Congress is again putting Votebank Rajniti above Rashtraniti. After crying for Batla, Afzal,Yakub , Naxals and labelling them Shaheed now doubting patriots like Ujjwal Nikam & clean chit to Pak! Bharat won’t ever forget these traitors,” he said.

Amit Malviya, chief of BJP’s National Information & Technology Department, said the remark is “shocking and demeaning those who laid down their lives fighting the worst ever terror attack on India”. “This is the same argument Pakistan makes in their defence,” he said.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Kiran Pawaskar demanded that the NIA should immediately arrest Wadettiwar and ask him why he was defending Kasab.

Ujjwal Nikam acquired a celebrity status when a hundred accused were convicted in the Mumbai blasts case while the 26/11 terror attack trial culminated in the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive by the police.

He replaces sitting MP Poonam Mahajan, who has represented the constituency two times.