Former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who coined the term saffron terror, has now refused to call Afzal Guru a terrorist in a podcast with journalist Shubhankar Mishra.
Shinde made headlines for his refusal to label Afzal Guru as a terrorist, despite repeated questioning.
BJP attacked Congress on Sunday morning over Shinde’s stance on terrorism, particularly in relation to Afzal Guru, convicted for the 2001 Indian Parliament attack
He could also be heard saying ‘saffron terror’ was not his word and it was his party Congress's ideology.
Historically, the Congress Party has navigated the murky waters of terrorism with a policy often critiqued for being too conciliatory or politically expedient.
The execution of Afzal Guru in 2013, under the UPA government led by Congress, was itself mired in controversy due to the delay in informing his family, a point Shinde has attributed to bureaucratic mishandling rather than political intent.
The comments wears significance with Maharashtra going to Assembly polls in less than a month.
Many political analysts were of the view that the statement is well timed to polarise the elections as Congress along with its allies in Maha Vikas Aghadi seeks to further fortify its Muslim vote bank.
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