Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 17 : Congress leader Husain Dalwai on Monday backed People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti's recent remarks over the November 10 Red Fort blast and suggested that the incident might be a result of "injustice" meted out in the Kashmir region.
The Congress leader said the incident "appears to be an act carried out by terrorists" and stressed that the government must introspect and initiate dialogue to address underlying grievances.
Speaking to ANI, Husain Dalwai said, "I think it was terrorists only who were involved in the incident in Delhi. What Mufti ji has said is right. This must have happened due to the injustice meted out in Kashmir. It was always wrong for the government to create an atmosphere that targeted a particular community. The government should hold a dialogue."
Dalwai further called for a probe into all those organisations which believe in violence.
He said, "Does RSS believe in Gandhi ji's non-violence? All those organisations which believe in violence should be probed."
His remarks came after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti launched a sharp attack against the Central Government, alleging that the November 10 Red Fort blast case in the national capital reflects a deepening sense of insecurity across the country and a failure of the Centre's policies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Twelve people lost their lives, and several others were injured in the November 10 Red Fort blast in the National Capital.
While addressing a Working Group Meeting in Srinagar on November 16, the PDP chief said, "You (Central government) told the world that everything is alright in Kashmir, but the troubles of Kashmir echoed right in front of the Red Fort."
"You promised to make J-K safe, but instead of fulfilling that promise, your policies have made Delhi unsafe. I don't know how many people in the Central Government are true nationalists... If a well-educated youth, a doctor, kills himself and others by strapping RDX to his body, it means there is no safety in the nation. You may get votes by doing Hindu-Muslim politics, but in which direction is the nation heading?"
She further alleged that divisive politics has taken precedence over national security. "You may get votes by doing Hindu-Muslim politics, but in which direction is the nation heading?" she asked.
"I don't know if the people in Delhi understand this, or do they think that the more Hindu-Muslim division there is, the more bloodshed there will be, the more polarisation there will be in the country, the more voters they will get? I think they should think again. The country is much bigger than a chair," she said.
Her remarks drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders, with BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accusing her and other Opposition leaders of "normalising and rationalising terrorism" for political gains.
"In the name of vote bank, the 'aatanki bachao gang' is back at work again. This is the same Mehbooba Mufti who had called Burhan Wani and other terrorists innocent. This ecosystem keeps saying such things repeatedly," he told ANI.
BJP leader Nalin Kohli slammed PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over her "troubles of Kashmir echoed in front of the Red Fort" remark on the November 10 Delhi blast, asking her to decide if she is against terrorism or not.
The BJP leader said, "Either you are fighting against the terrorists--those who support them directly and indirectly and the people who actually help the terrorists undertake the attack--or you are fighting against terrorism. There is no middle path as far as these terrorists are concerned. With regard to the situation, Mehbooba Mufti Ji would do well to consider what her statements in the past have been, how people interpret her statements, whether it is with respect to Pakistan, whether it is with respect to terrorism."