All terrorists belong to 'particular community': Giriraj

Senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Wednesday kicked up yet another storm by saying, “all terrorists caught in the country belong to one particular community”. He also advocated a re-look into Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Giriraj, who was in Bokaro in connection with a case filed against him for a hate speech during the polls, also said, “Pakistan parast log (pro- Pakistan people)” in India wanted to halt the march of Narendra Modi to power and such people have no place in the country.

He later, however, clarified that few people were associated with the militant activities.

State BJP president Mangal Pandey refused to own his party colleague’s statement and said, “BJP has nothing to do with Giriraj Singh’s utterances.”

Giriraj, who is the party’s nominee from Nawada, told newsmen that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution should be revoked and there should be a nationwide debate on the definition of secularism.

He even went on to say that Bihar had turned into a grazing ground for terrorists.

“This fact can be substantiated by the incidents of serial bomb blasts on the premises of the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya and during the Hunkar rally of the BJP prime ministerial candidate at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna on October 27 last,” he added.

During the election campaign, FIRs had been lodged against Giriraj for his statement “those opposed to Narendra Modi had no place in India and should go to Pakistan”. The saffron party leader had held important portfolios in the Nitish Kumar government during the last NDA regime in Bihar.

Reacting sharply to Giriraj’s statement, senior JD (U) leader and water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said, “Such statements should not be taken seriously, for they may cause tension in the society.” He also said these utterances should be dismissed by one and all, as they don’t do any good to any community.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar said terrorists neither have religion nor caste. “There are 120 districts affected by Maoists across the country. To which religion or caste should they be linked? It is a useless and baseless thing (to say),” he said.