Don't need a certificate of patriotism from BJP, says Congress

The Congress Party on Wednesday expressed strong disapproval of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah's remarks regarding it, adding that the grand old party did not need a certificate to prove its patriotism.

The Congress was reacting to Shah's statements made at a rally in Bhubaneswar, where the BJP chief attacked the opposition party for raising questions regarding the December 31 fishing boat incident, further accusing the party of 'contesting elections in Pakistan'.

"[Such statements] coming from the president of the ruling party is highly churlish and irresponsible. The Congress has a respected history of serving the nation and defending its integrity and security. We do not need a certificate as to who is patriotic and who is not," Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader of opposition Anand Sharma told ANI.

"There are certain issues that came out and the Congress has asked some questions. There should be no doubt that when it comes to terrorism, the Congress has always been in the forefront to fight and defeat it. We have been very clear - there has been an infrastructure of terror and organisation which operate from the territory of Pakistan which has to be dismantled. This has been a consistent position, whether in power or out," he added.

Sharma further accused different voices within the Centre making contradicting statements and invited the government to place the facts regarding the incident before the country.

"The country has to speak in one voice. But at the same time, it is incumbent upon the government and its agencies to speak in one voice. However, there has been a contradiction in [Union Defence Minister] Manohar Parrikar and [Union Home Minister] Rajnath Singh's statements," he said.

"The government should place the facts before the country and the Defence and Home Ministers must consult each other before making statements which create confusion," he added.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence said that as per intelligence inputs received on December 31, a fishing boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi was planning some illicit transaction in the Arabian Sea. Based on the input, a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft undertook a sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect vessel.

According to the statement, on being warned, the boat increased its speed and attempted to flee the maritime boundary; later those on board set the boat on fire, which resulted in an explosion. Ultimately, the boat burnt and sank in the early hours of January 1, including all the people on board who could not be saved or recovered.

The Congress has questioned the government's take on the incident and has asked it to clarify which terrorist organisation was behind the suspected terror attack.