Vaidik has no relation with RSS: Ram Madhav

His comments come after Congress party, including Rahul Gandhi, described Vaidik as an 'RSS man'

Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Jul 15 2014 | 4:37 PM IST
RSS leader Ram Madhav, who recently joined BJP, today asserted that journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik has no relation with RSS, saying a person roaming around with Congress leaders is not from the Sangh fountainhead.

"Vaidik saab has no relation with RSS. The person who roams around with Mani Shankar Aiyer and Salman Khurshid is not from RSS," he said.

"In any case Hafiz Saeed is a terrorist. With regard to India he is a criminal. Whenever he comes to India, he will brought as a criminal under the Indian law and order system," Madhav said.

Also Read

His comments come after Congress party, includings its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, described Vaidik as an "RSS man" and questioned whether the Indian High Commission in Islamabad had facilitated the meeting between him and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

On Vaidik's remark on integrating PoK and Kashmir into one country, Madhav said, "Crores of people in this country might have crores of self-opinion. PoK area is part of India. It's Pakistan's illegal and uncontitutional occupation. To free it is the one and only resolution of the Indian Parliament. That 'sankalp' (commitment) has to be fulfilled."

On whether the scribe's statement hurts the sentiments of the people, he said, "It definately does." He declined to elaborate further.

Meanwhile, calling it a diversionary tactics of Congress, the government has distanced itself from the meeting between Vaidik and Saeed, saying the journalist was "neither authorised nor representing the government or BJP".

Vaidik had met the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, said to be the parent organisation of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, in Lahore on July 2 while touring Pakistan along with a group of journalists and politicians invited by a peace research institute.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 15 2014 | 12:55 PM IST

Next Story