BJP denies links with LeT terrorist amid row
After Lashkar terrorist Talib Hussain Shah was nabbed in Reasi district on Sunday, president of the J&K BJP Ravinder Raina said that “Shah was neither an active member nor a primary member of the BJP”.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday denied that one of two most-wanted Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists nabbed by locals and handed to the police was incharge of the party’s minority morcha IT cell, saying the allegation was worrying as falsely implicating the BJP had become a new modus-operandi for Pakistan-based terror outfits.
After Lashkar terrorist Talib Hussain Shah was nabbed in Reasi district on Sunday, president of the J&K BJP Ravinder Raina said that “Shah was neither an active member nor a primary member of the BJP”.
“Talib Hussain Shah visited the BJP headquarters in Jammu many times as a reporter along with his cameraman and took my interviews in the past. He used to be accompanied by a couple of men,” said Raina. “He doesn’t have any membership in the official records of the BJP. Moreover, he was arrested by locals and police. Though the entire matter is being investigated, prima facie it seems that he conducted a recce at the BJP office and mine also.”
“Some pictures have been recovered from his mobile, which are being looked into by police and intelligence agencies. It appears he was planning a big terror attack on the BJP office,” said Raina.
The J&K BJP president said security agencies alerted him that he could have been on Shah’s hit list because he spoke openly against Pakistan and terrorism.
“He was not an IT cell incharge. There is a BJP minority morcha and he was made a member in Rajouri district. However, within 18 days he resigned on May 27. He had joined in the first week of May and resigned in the fourth week. He himself had dissociated from the party and announced it in the media,” said Raina. “I have confirmed from the BJP office, his name doesn’t figure in official records of the BJP. It was a conspiracy to target the BJP headquarters and party leaders.”
Earlier in the day, the BJP blamed the system of online membership that allowed people to join the party without any background checks.
On May 9, the BJP had appointed Shah incharge of the party’s IT and social media. “Talib Hussain Shah, at Draj Kotranka, Budhan, District Rajouri, shall be the new IT & Social Media Incharge BJP Minority Mocha Jammu Province with immediate effect,” an order issued by the BJP Minority Morcha J&K had said. There were a number of pictures Shah posted with senior BJP leaders, including Raina.
The J&K unit of the Congress took exception to the presence of Lashkar men in BJP ranks and asked the ruling party to explain to the nation how the dreaded terrorists were enjoying the BJP’s patronage by getting important assignments in the party.
“The main culprit in the sensational Udaipur murder is also an active member of the ruling BJP and now the arrest and identification of LeT commander of Peer Panjal range Talib Hussain as a senior office bearer of the BJP is matter of great concern,” the J&K unit of the Congress said in a statement.
On Sunday morning, police said villagers captured two most-wanted terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in a remote village of Reasi district. They were identified as Faizal Ahmed Dar, son of Bashir Ahmed Dar of Pulwama, and Talib Hussain Shah, son of Haider Shah of Rajouri.
“Today villagers of Tukson Dhok showed extreme courage in apprehending two most-wanted terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba, who had reached that area to take shelter after continuous pressure from police and army,” additional director general of police Mukesh Singh said.
Two AK rifles, seven grenades, a pistol and a huge quantity of ammunition were recovered from their possession, Singh added.
LG Manoj Sinha applauded the courage of the villagers and said with this kind of determination, the end of terrorism is not far. He announced a cash reward of ₹5 lakh for the villagers. DGP Dilbag Singh also announced a reward of ₹2 lakh for the villagers.
