Terrorism was never saffron, is not, and will never be: CM Fadnavis on Malegaon blast case verdict

Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that terrorism was never saffron and will never be. He said this while reacting to the acquittal of all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case by the NIA court.

In a one-line post on his X handle, he wrote in Hindi (loosely translated), "Terrorism was never saffron, is not, and will never be!”

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed the court’s judgement, saying that truth is never defeated and the term "Hindu terrorism" was coined by conspiratorial Congress leaders.

In his reaction posted on X, Dy CM Shinde said, “After a long battle of seventeen years, a special court has acquitted seven alleged accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case. It is true that justice was delayed, but it has once again been proven that truth is never defeated. From the very beginning, Shiv Sena has unequivocally supported the patriots who were falsely accused and imprisoned in the Malegaon blast case. This is because Shiv Sena never had any doubt that their cause was just. Colonel Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya, and the other seven individuals had to endure immense mental and physical torment due to these accusations. The Hindu community will never forget this injustice.”

He further stated, “Hindus can never engage in anti-national activities, because patriotism is a sacred duty for those who follow Hinduism. The absurd term "Hindu terrorism" was coined by conspiratorial Congress leaders. What answer do they have now for such blatant falsehoods? A dark chapter has ended today. The stigma on the Hindu community has been wiped away. The slogan "Say with pride, we are Hindus" will now resonate across the country with a hundredfold louder voice, there is no doubt about it. Truth may be troubled, but it is never defeated! Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra.”

Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, however, raised questions over the investigations into the Malegoan as well as the Mumbai train blasts case. He said, “Why are they acquitted? They say that there is not enough evidence. Recently, all the accused in the Mumbai serial blasts were acquitted. What kind of investigation was it? The police are not able to provide proof. I am concerned about the investigation. If not them, then someone else did it. But who did it? It is a failure of the police department.”

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman, Sachin Sawant, said that innocent people died in the Malegaon blast, and the government could not deliver justice to them, "yet the Maharashtra Chief Minister feels no sorrow for this".

He said, “However, their political ideology is clearly evident from their tweets. It is this very ideology that has raised questions about the role of investigative agencies. These people view terrorism through a political lens as well. Individuals associated with the BJP and RSS had labelled martyr Hemant Karkare a traitor for their political gains. Was it this same political mindset that led to Rohini Salian being asked to take a soft stance against the accused and to slow down the investigation? Witnesses were offered inducements. A witness like Randhir Singh was given a ministerial position in Jharkhand. The country's government should express sorrow that those responsible for such a major terrorist incident are roaming freely today.”

He remarked that, “In fact, this verdict is not very surprising, as the NIA had already given them a clean chit. The government should name this investigative agency the "Namo Investigation Agency. Unfortunately, the sorrow remains that the victims of the Malegaon blast still have not received justice."

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said, “I thank the judiciary, and demand that Chidambaram, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi apologise to the Hindus of the country.”

BJP Minister Nitesh Rane said the “Hindus cannot be terrorists. Today’s NIA court order has proved it and the order has been a major slap on the proponents of Hindu Terrorism.".

--IANS

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