Sonia should clarify party's stand on Hindu terror: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday asked Congress President Sonia Gandhi to clarify her party's stand on the Hindu terror issue and alleged that her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi had once said the "threat of LeT is inferior in comparison to Hindu terror".

"BJP wants to know from Sonia Gandhi that does she approve of the whole level of Hindu terror being alleged by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders," union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.

Prasad also claimed that Rahul Gandhi had once told a US ambassador that "threat of LeT is inferior in comparison to Hindu terror.

"Responding to a US ambassador's query about LeT's activity in the region and immediate threat to India, Rahul Gandhi had said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community.

"However, he warned that the bigger threat may be growth of radicalised Hindu group which creats tension and political confrontation with the Muslim community," Prasad said, quoting US newspaper The Guardian.

"Congress has not learnt the right lessons from the sacrifice of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Had they done so the flip flop of the Congress party in the last more than 15 years on the isuue of terrorism would not have been there as it is," he added.

He further said BJP never talked about Muslim terrorism.

"Sushil Kumar Shinde had said India is concerned about Hindu terror. When Chidambaram was home minister he had also spoken about saffron terror. BJP's stand on this is clear that terrorism has no belief, no religion. We have never spoken about Muslim terrorism, we have spoken about jihadi terror," Prasad said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Friday accused the Congress of coining the term "Hindu terrorism" and weakening the fight against terror.

Reacting to Rajnath's remarks, the Congress on Saturday said the NDA government was trying to rake up the Hindu terror issue in a bid to divide and polarise the country.