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Jaitley's Hindutva remark exposes BJP's real face: Sibal

Last updated on: March 29, 2011 18:56 IST

Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday said Arun Jaitley's reported comment that the Bharatiya Janata Party was using Hindutva as an opportunistic tool has exposed the real face of the party and demand an apology from him.

The senior Congress leader also asked BJP veteran L K Advani and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to tell the nation "what they now think about Jaitley."

He said comment of a responsible leader of the opposition that the BJP was using Hindutva as an opportunistic tool is a "very, very serious issue."

"The Congress has been saying that the BJP is misleading people. Now, they should apologise to them," Sibal told mediapersons in New Delhi.

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'Jaitley should apologise to the nation'

Last updated on: March 29, 2011 18:56 IST

WikiLeaks cables, first accessed by The Hindu, had reported that Robert Blake, charge at the US Embassy, had conveyed to his government, after a meeting with Jaitley on May 6, 2005, that Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism will always be a talking point for the BJP. However, he characterised this as an opportunistic issue.

Jaitley has, however, maintained that he had not used the word "opportunistic" while Congress attacked him saying those living in glass houses should not throw stones at others.

Sibal said that for making such comments, Jaitley should apologise to the people and explain why he had said so.

'Ayodhya demolition was politics of opportunism'

Last updated on: March 29, 2011 18:56 IST

Recalling the communal violence in the country following Advani's Rath Yatra, which led to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Sibal said these are all "politics of opportunism", which claimed hundreds of lives.

"This means the BJP leaders speak something and do something else," he said.

"For years, we have been saying about their politics of opportunism. Now, people should also know the real face of BJP," the telecom minister said.

Jaitley's remark exposes BJP's hidden agenda: Andhra CM

Last updated on: March 29, 2011 18:56 IST

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy also crticised Jaitley on the issue of Hindu nationalism. Reddy said in a statement that the remark of Jaitley clearly "exposes" the hidden agenda of BJP and its lack of commitment to national security.

It only indicates that they want more and more cross border attacks to happen in the country so that their version of "Hindutva" prevails and their selfish interests are served.