'Congress Coined Saffron Terror Narrative To Please Its Vote Bank': Maha CM Fadnavis On Malegaon Blast Case Verdict

Talking to reporters, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the Congress government framed the saffron terror narrative to please its vote bank.

Hours after an NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis demanded an apology from the Congress for forging a fake narrative to defame Hindus. The NIA Court said that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The NIA court has also ordered the Maharashtra government to award Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 compensation to the injured.

Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said that the Congress government framed the saffron terror narrative to please its vote bank. "The way the Congress-led UPA government conspired to set the narrative of saffron terrorism, Hindu terrorism and prepared the entire Malegaon case, today it has been exposed... Congress tried to bring the narrative to please its vote bank, especially the vote bank of a particular religion," said Fadnavis.

The Maharashtra CM further said that Congress must apologise for its sins. "The work done by Congress to label all Hindus as terrorists, today, the whole country is condemning it. We demand that Congress apologise for calling out terms like Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism..." said Fadnavis.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Kishan also echoed similar sentiment. He criticised the Congress for what he described as the politically motivated use of the term "Bhagwa Terrorism" and demanding accountability in Parliament. Speaking to ANI, Kishan said, "We don't know whether to be happy or sad. My sister Sadhvi Pragya used to sit next to me in the Parliament. Her entire body is paralysed. What must the accused and their families have gone through who faced the false allegations... Who will return those 17 years? The Congress that coined the term Bhagwa Terrorism must answer. They are all accountable."

He added, "They have to answer 100 crore Hindus with what proof they started speaking of Bhagwa terrorism. Who was the mastermind behind this narrative?. The Home Minister said it yesterday, and it is proven today that a Hindu cannot be a terrorist. We will demand an answer in the Parliament on the term 'Bhagwa Terrorism'."

A total of 7 people were accused, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni.

On September 29 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya.