Bengaluru: The recent Delhi car bomb blasts have triggered a political storm, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemning the attack and accusing the Congress party of nurturing terrorism through years of appeasement and weak security policies. BJP MLC N Ravikumar lashed out at Congress leaders who demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, saying it was the Congress that had historically given shelter to extremists.
Speaking at a press meet in Bengaluru, Ravikumar questioned the moral ground of Congress in blaming the Modi government for a terrorist incident when, according to him, the roots of such acts trace back to the era of Congress governance. “How many terror attacks took place during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh? Who gave protection to those organizations that attacked our own people? The Congress should first answer that before pointing fingers,” he said.
“Congress nurtured the menace it now condemns”
Ravikumar accused the Congress of double standards, recalling that many extremist organizations had flourished under its rule. “They were victims of the very organizations they themselves nurtured. It was during the Congress regime that terrorism found safe havens in India,” he alleged.
He noted that it was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government which had enacted stringent laws like the COCA (Coke) Act to counter terrorism, but the subsequent Congress-led UPA government had withdrawn it, allegedly allowing terror groups to regroup and strike again. “Who removed the law that protected India from terror? It was the Congress,” he said, adding that the BJP-led government has rebuilt national security through decisive governance.
Terror incidents reduced by 70 per cent under Modi government
Presenting comparative statistics, Ravikumar highlighted that terror-related incidents had drastically declined since the BJP came to power. “Between 2004 and 2014, during the UPA regime, 7,217 terrorist incidents were recorded. Under the NDA government from 2014 till now, only 2,242 incidents have occurred. That means there has been a 70% reduction in terror activities,” he stated.
He argued that this sharp decline reflects the fear and deterrence created by the Modi government’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. “Our Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah have ensured that terrorists cannot easily cross into India. But the problem lies within—those who feed and support them inside the country,” he said, taking a veiled dig at what he called Congress’s “appeasement politics.”
Ravikumar’s statements were in response to certain Congress leaders, including Jameer Ahmed, who had claimed that “99 per cent of the minority community is not involved in terrorism.” Countering this, Ravikumar said, “You say that your community is not involved, but every terrorist arrested in recent cases happens to be Muslim. Why is that? Who supports them? It is the Congress party’s appeasement policy that encourages such activities.”
Referring to recent national security operations, Ravikumar pointed out that 2,900 kilograms of RDX had been seized in coordinated raids across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu, and Haryana, leading to multiple arrests of individuals with links to extremist groups. “These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a well-planned network that has been operating for years, nurtured during Congress’s tenure,” he said.
“Stop politicizing terror, unite against extremism”
While strongly condemning the Delhi blasts and extending condolences to the victims’ families, Ravikumar urged opposition leaders to refrain from politicizing national security issues. “This is a time to unite against terrorism, not to weaken the morale of our armed forces and intelligence agencies with baseless allegations,” he remarked.
He called on the Congress to introspect and accept responsibility for allowing terrorism to gain ground in India. “If there are terrorist activities in our country today, Congress must bear the moral and political responsibility for having enabled them in the past. The Modi government is cleaning up the mess they created,” he asserted.
Ravikumar concluded by reiterating the BJP’s commitment to eradicating terrorism and safeguarding national security. “We will not rest until every terror cell is dismantled and every perpetrator punished. India’s security is non-negotiable,” he declared, reaffirming the government’s resolve to prevent such tragedies in the future.
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