Later, chatting with reporters, Fadnavis demanded that the Congress apologise for attempting to defame the whole Hindu group. 

“The Congress-led UPA authorities tried to set a story of saffron terror to appease the minorities throughout elections. As we speak’s judgement exhibits how false that narrative was. The best way the UPA and Congress conspired to point out saffron terror, was flawed. The Congress ought to apologise to the whole Hindu group for attempting to color them as terrorists,” he mentioned. 

Equally, BJP’s Mohan Yadav, the CM of Madhya Pradesh, from the place Pragya Singh Thakur hails, in a publish on X additionally mentioned {that a} “Hindu can’t be a terrorist”.

“This choice is a robust reply to those that insulted Sanatan Dharma, saints and saffron. Congress ought to publicly apologise to all Sanatanis,” Yadav mentioned.

In the meantime, forward of native physique polls scheduled throughout Maharashtra, the Congress, which has over time visibly climbed down from its once-firm stance on “saffron terror”, struck a extra cautious tone, demanding justice for the victims, however whereas steering away from any references to the phrase. Leaders from each events, as a substitute, maintained that terror has no faith. 

Chatting with reporters in Delhi, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh mentioned BJP leaders are “fully flawed” after they say that the Congress had coined the time period saffron terror. 

He added, “There isn’t a terrorism colored with faith. There may be neither Hindu terror, nor Islamic terror. Each faith represents love, concord, reality and non-violence. There are just a few individuals who weaponise faith as hatred.”

Again in Maharashtra, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, chatting with reporters, mentioned the federal government ought to concentrate on giving solutions relating to who was in the end accountable for the Malegaon blast quite than pointing fingers at others.

“A blast did occur. All of us noticed it. So, if the accused have been acquitted, who was accountable?” Sapkal mentioned. “The Congress is towards terror and each terrorist ought to be punished. The primary act of terror after independence was the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. From there until Pahalgam, we have now condemned all acts of terror. Terror has no faith. Terror has no color.”

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Additionally Learn: ‘Grave suspicion however not sufficient proof’—what NIA court docket mentioned because it acquitted Malegaon blast accused

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‘A protracted-term political conspiracy uncovered’

After the Malegaon blast, senior Congress leaders corresponding to Sushil Kumar Shinde, Digvijaya Singh and Chidambaram had flogged the BJP and its ideological guardian, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for allegedly encouraging fringe Hindutva teams.

BJP leaders, in the meantime, repeatedly accused Congress of utilizing the time period “saffron terror” to defame the Hindu faith merely to woo the minorities, a cost they threw on the get together once more on Thursday, after the decision. 

Chatting with reporters after the decision, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Maharashtra BJP president and a minister within the Fadnavis cupboard, mentioned, “The honourable court docket famous that there was no concrete proof behind any of the allegations. However, a extra critical matter is that the Congress intentionally used the time period ‘Hindu terrorism’ in its propaganda making an attempt to defame the Hindu group and religion worldwide.”

“The Congress dedicated an unforgivable crime by attempting to position Hindutva, which has been a logo of humanity and tolerance for hundreds of years, within the ranks of terrorists,” Bawankule mentioned, including the court docket’s choice was a “resounding slap” to those that defamed Hindus. 

BJP minister Nitesh Rane went one step ahead by saying the one color of terror is inexperienced. “What has develop into clear is that the color of terrorism and the color of jihad can solely be inexperienced…No individual of the Hindu group tries to develop his faith by wanting down on one other faith. No Hindu tries to interrupt a non secular construction and construct his personal temple.” 

Elections are anticipated to be held throughout rural native our bodies and concrete native our bodies in Maharashtra inside the subsequent 12 months and the BJP is probably going to make use of the decision to consolidate its Hindutva voter base, analysts say.

“Maharashtra has been a significant laboratory for the BJP to experiment and regardless of a number of experiments it hasn’t been in a position to prolong its energy throughout the state fully. On this quest, the BJP has penetrated small local-level spiritual organisations, and created deep social media networks utilizing platforms corresponding to Whatsapp to unfold its message,” Dr Sanjay Patil, researcher at Mumbai College’s politics and civics division, advised ThePrint. 

“With this judgement, the BJP will get to play the sufferer card regardless of being in energy,” he added.

The decision has additionally given a contemporary salvo to the BJP towards the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), its prime contender for the Hindutva agenda on the rival aspect. 

The undivided Shiv Sena beneath founder Bal Thackeray had overtly supported Thakur, Purohit and the opposite accused within the Malegaon case in 2008. At one of many hearings for remand of the accused, Shiv Saniks had gathered exterior a Nashik court docket the place the accused have been introduced and showered flower petals over them.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT), now an ally of the Congress, stayed away from commenting on the decision, however educated its weapons on the house ministry as a substitute.

Occasion MP Arvind Sawant mentioned, “It received’t be acceptable to touch upon the court docket’s choice. However there are two questions. Why do these circumstances get so delayed? Within the prepare blasts case too, the accused who have been acquitted needed to spend 19 years beneath trial. The incidents have occurred, however sadly the police can’t discover the actual accused, and there can’t be a worse black mark on the house ministry.”

The BJP’s marketing campaign towards Congress over “saffron terror” publish the Malegaon verdict additionally had echoes of Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah’s phrases within the Lok Sabha a day prior. On Wednesday, talking throughout the Op Sindoor debate, Shah mentioned, “I can proudly say earlier than everybody immediately that Hindu can by no means be a terrorist.”

The Congress climbdown on ‘saffron terror’

Over the previous couple of years, the Congress has typically made a deliberate try to distance itself from the time period “saffron terror”.

As an illustration, in 2018, when the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad had arrested 4 Hindutva activists in reference to its probe into an alleged conspiracy to organise assaults in 5 cities of Maharashtra, the Congress was largely silent. 

Apart from the then Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan—who’s now with the BJP—demanding a ban on Sanathan Sanstha and Chidambaram questioning if the BJP and the RSS deliberate to sentence these organising the assaults, no senior chief made any robust statements on the arrests. 

Mumbai College’s Dr Patil mentioned, “Utilizing the time period saffron terror had really damage the Congress even again then. On this political local weather, it could actually’t afford to push that agenda once more. Among the get together’s senior leaders admit in confidence that the Congress doesn’t know find out how to current its stand on Hindutva correctly.”

Nearly instantly after first utilizing the time period “saffron terror” at a Congress conclave in Jaipur in 2013, former Union residence minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had apologised and mentioned his feedback have been misunderstood, and that he didn’t imply to hyperlink any faith with terrorism. 

Years later, in 2024, Shinde in his e-book, 5 Many years in Politics, distanced himself from the time period saying he didn’t coin it, however had first learn it in one of many confidential recordsdata of the Union Dwelling Ministry. 

In the identical thread, Gujarat Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi, chatting with the media in Delhi after the decision Thursday, alleged that the time period “saffron terror” was coined by the then Union Dwelling Secretary RK Singh, a former IAS officer who has had friction with Shinde, and joined the BJP in 2013.

Political commentator Hemand Desai advised ThePrint forward of the Lok Sabha election final 12 months too that the Congress in Maharashtra had discovered itself on the centre of an issue when its chief of Opposition within the state Vijay Waddettiwar, quoting a e-book, mentioned late IPS officer Hemant Karkare was killed by an RSS-linked police officer.

Karkare was killed within the 26/11 Mumbai terror assaults. He was additionally the person who had led the investigation into the Malegaon blast case.

“Waddettiwar needed to face a whole lot of flak for his remark. Now, with native physique polls resembling a mini meeting election prone to come up, the Congress appears to have determined that allow’s not get into this kind of a debate in any respect,” Desai mentioned.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)

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Additionally Learn: ‘Evil try’ to malign Hindus rejected: RSS, VHP welcome 2008 Malegaon blast verdict

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