New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Tuesday slammed the Congress for promising to ban the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka if voted to power in the state, saying by doing so, the party has defamed a "nationalist" organisation.
Releasing its manifesto for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections on Tuesday in Bengaluru, the Congress said it is committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI), including banning them, for "spreading hatred" amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.
In a video message, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) joint general secretary Surendra Jain said the Bajrang Dal will take the Congress' poll promise to ban it as a challenge and give a reply to the party in "democratic ways".
"While releasing its manifesto for the Karnataka polls, the way the Congress has compared the Bajrang Dal, a nationalist organisation, with the PFI, an infamous anti-national, terrorist and banned organisation, is unfortunate," he said. The Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP.
Every member of the Bajrang Dal is "dedicated" to serve the country and society while the entire world is aware of the activities of the PFI, Jain said.
"You cannot deceive the people of the country, (senior Congress leader) Sonia Gandhi. The way you have attempted to defame the Bajrang Dal, people of the country will not accept it. Every activist of the Bajrang Dal will take it as a challenge," he said.
"We do not dabble in politics. But you want to drag us into politics. Then, we would like to respond to you in that arena also and we will not let your wrong intentions be fulfilled," the VHP general secretary said.
Hitting out at former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he also said that her party's "hidden agenda" has come out in the open with its poll promise.
"You talk about banning the Bajrang Dal and you forgot that you had opposed the ban on SIMI. People like you had staged demonstrations on streets protesting the ban on SIMI. When you are talking about a ban on Bajrang Dal, your hidden agenda has come out in open," Jain charged.
The Bajrang Dal and people of the country accept this challenge and "a reply will be given in all democratic ways", the VHP leader added.
Hitting out at the Congress in a series of tweets, VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the party which is being rejected all over the country is day dreaming of banning the Bajrang Dal.
"Comparison of PFI with Bajrang Dal...Enough of Congress drama in Karnataka. This manifesto itself will become the factor of the Congress's end," he said in one the tweets.
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