Raj Babbar Calls Maoists 'Revolutionary', Amit Shah Asks Rahul Gandhi to 'Clear Stand on Naxalism'
Babbar's remarks, which were being referred to by Shah while targeting the Congress, comes days after two police constables and one Doordarshan cameraman was killed by Maoists in Dantewada.
Raipur, November 4: Senior Congress leader Raj Babbar has purportedly landed his party in soup in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, as he compared Maoist insurgents to "revolutionaries" while addressing the press in Raipur on Saturday. Turning his remarks into political fodder, BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday trained guns at his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi.
"A top Congress leader calls Maoists revolutionaries. What kind of revolution is this where the blood of innocents is being spilled. I want Rahul Gandhi to explain what his party's stand is on naxalism," Shah said, while addressing a rally in Rajnandgaon district. Naxals Issue Statement on Dantewada Attack, Say Had No Intention of Targeting Media.
Babbar's remarks, which were being referred to by Shah while targeting the Congress, comes days after two police constables and one Doordarshan cameraman was killed by Maoists in Dantewada.
Babbar, who is the state unit president of Congress in Uttar Pradesh, had said that the solution to end the bloodshed lies in dialogue. "They are revolutionaries. They feel their rights have been snatched and to avenge that, they will even sacrifice their lives," he said.
"But the solution does not lie in bullets. Neither their bullets nor our bullets. We need a dialogue process to end this," the actor-turned-politician added.
According to the BJP, Babbar's remark is part of Congress' "venomous politics" to reap benefits of pro-naxal voters in the restive Bastar region, which would go to polls in the first phase of elections on November 12.
The Congress, however, has sidelined itself away from Babbar's stand. In his statement itself, Babbar had stressed that it is his "personal view".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 04, 2018 08:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).