Sack Shinde or we will block Budget Session: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday threatened to block proceedings in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament if Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was not sacked over his controversial remark on ‘Hindu terror’.

Newly-elected BJP president Rajnath Singh said Shinde would have to resign because his remark has caused nationwide outrage. He was addressing party supporters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

“Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must apologise for the Union home minister’s chaotic remark. Sonia Gandhi will have to come out and clarify Shinde’s statement. We will not let the upcoming Parliament session function if Shinde is not sacked,” said Singh.

“BJP doesn’t discriminate among people or practice politics on the basis of caste, race and religion. But Congress is doing dirty vote-bank politics. The Union home minister’s remark has hurt the sentiments of patriotic people of the country,” he added.

Shinde had made the controversial remark on the final day of the Congress Party’s Chintan Shivir in Jaipur. He had accused the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of holding terror-training camps and promoting ‘Hindu terrorism’ in the country.

The statement immediately invited condemnation from both the BJP and the RSS.

"Soniaji we want to hear from you about Shinde's statement,” said Singh, adding, “We will create conditions that would not allow either House of Parliament to function."

The BJP leaders dismissed Congress spokesperson Janardhan Dewedi's clarification -- that Shinde's statement reflected his personal views and not that of the government.

"Saffron colour has been the symbol of patriotism since Chanakya. If you want to see Bhagwa (saffron colour), then Shinde should go to Maha Kumbh where the only colour that you see is Bhagwa," Swaraj said.

"They address Osama as Osamaji and give respect to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed. India has been defamed at the international level. Saeed is now asking India to be declared a terror state. Home minister of India says that BJP and RSS run terror camps," Swaraj thundered. 

With additional inputs from ANI