New Delhi: Stepping up its attack on the Congress, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday demanded clarification from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the allegations that Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel had links with two arrested terrorists in Gujarat.
Addressing a press conference, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ) leader said, “Congress must come clean on the allegations against Ahmed Patel, else blot on the party will be bigger than that for corruption.”
Naqvi dismissed Congress' charge that BJP was playing politics over the issue.
“Instead of taking action, Congress is busy in accusing BJP of politicising the issue. This makes Ahmed Patel even more questionable,” the Union Minister said.
“People are questioning Ahmed Patel's link to IS operatives. Congress has a history of favouring anti-national elements," Naqvi said, adding that "this matter is of national security and we want Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to give answer."
Taking a dig at the grand old party, Naqvi said, "So far people used to say Congress is linked to corruption. Now people are saying Congress is linked to terrorism.”
Earlier, the Congress on Saturday accused the ruling BJP of making "baseless" terror allegations against Patel in a "despicable attempt" to avoid an electoral defeat in poll-bound Gujarat.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday night demanded Patel's resignation from the Rajya Sabha alleging his links with Mohammed Qasim Stimberwala, one of the two alleged Islamic State operatives arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday in Surat. The arrested suspects were allegedly planning to blow up a synagogue in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday jumped into his party colleague's defence, saying "I have gathered some facts from my friends. Ahmed Patel was a trustee of a hospital, I believe he resigned or retired in 2015."
Questioning BJP's allegations against Patel, Chidambaram said, "If somebody joins as a technician and then he is linked to ISIS, how is some ex-trustee of the hospital responsible for all this."
Patel on Friday has rubbished the charge that he had links with Stimberwala.
Patel took to Twitter saying, "My party and I appreciate the ATS's effort to nab the two terrorists. I demand strict and speedy action against them. The allegations put forward by BJP are completely baseless."
