From Babri to Batla House, VHP accuses Sonia of 'selective outrage'

NEW DELHI: VHP Tuesday demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi for statements that it claimed "have hurt Hindus". VHP's Surendra Jain asked why Gandhi, who had purportedly shed tears over the demolition of the Babri structure, had not shown similar anguish when more than 350 temples were demolished and Hindus were massacred in Kashmir, Congress netas were killed by Naxalites in Bastar, or Sikhs were massacred in Delhi in 1984. Jain accused Gandhi of selective outrage, saying that she had expressed grief over the killing of terrorists in the Batla House encounter but remained silent on attacks against Hindus and the sacrifices of security personnel. He questioned whether Sonia had expressed similar grief over the death of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who was fatally wounded during the operation in Delhi's Batla House.

He also cited the killing of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam and alleged atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bengal and Keralam. He further questioned Gandhi's response to the killing of kar sevaks and the 1984 anti-Sikh killings, accusing Congress of remaining indifferent to such incidents. Targeting Congress over what he described as Muslim appeasement, Jain also criticised a party leader's reported remarks contrasting pollution levels during Diwali and Eid.