Congress Slams BJP's 'Insinuations And Innuendos' Over Allegations Against Ex VP Hamid Ansari

Congress condemned the "insinuations and innuendos" by BJP against Sonia Gandhi and Hamid Ansari over the allegation that the former VP shared sensitive information with a Pakistani journalist.

Hamid Ansari, a retired diplomat was the 12th Vice President of India from 2007 to 2017.  ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: The Congress party on Wednesday criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its allegations against former Vice President Hamid Ansari that shared sensitive information with a Pakistani journalist. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Insinuations and innuendos by a spokesperson of the BJP against Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress and Hamid Ansari, former Vice-President of India, are to be condemned in the strongest possible language." 

"The facts regarding the International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism and Human Rights held on December 11, 2010 in New Delhi are already in the public domain. The insinuations and innuendos of the spokesperson of the BJP are character assassination of the worst form," the statement said. 

Hitting out the ruling dispensation, Congress alleged "the levels that the Prime Minister and his party colleagues will stoop to debase public debate and spread their patented brand of lies is staggering. It reflects sickness of mind and lack of any form of integrity whatsoever". 

Former Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari Refutes BJP's Allegation

The statement came after former vice president Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Wednesday refuted the BJP allegation that he had shared "confidential and sensitive" information about India with Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza. 

In a statement, Ansari said, "Yesterday and today a litany of falsehood has been unleashed on me personally in the sections of the media and by the official spokesman of the Bharatiya Janata Party: that as Vice-President of India I had invited the Pakistani journalist, Nusrat Mirza. That I had met him in a conference in New Delhi on 'Terrorism', and that while as Ambassador to Iran, I had betrayed the national interest in a matter for which allegations have been made by a former official of a government agency." 

He stated that he had inaugurated the Conference on Terrorism, on December 11, 2010, the 'International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism and Human Rights'. The normal practice is that the list of invitees to be drawn by the organisers. He stressed he never invited Mirza. 

Hamid Ansari, a retired diplomat was the 12th Vice President of India from 2007 to 2017. 

Nusrat Mirza's Statement & BJP's Allegations

Earlier, Nusrat Mirza, a Pakistani columnist who has visited India many times during the UPA rule, boasted on camera that he used to pass on information collected during his visits to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He claimed that he had visited India on several occasions. 

"I was invited to India at the time of Vice Presidentship of Mohammad Hamid Ansari," Mirza said, as quoted by news agency ANI. 

Following this statement, the BJP attacked the Congress, alleging that it was sharing confidential information with other countries, which they were using for terrorism. It alleged that the Congress party has been "weakening the country". 

Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza himself has revealed that Hamid Ansari, the former Vice President of India, invited him to India five times between 2005 and 2011. Nusrat Mirza said in an interview that the then Vice President used to call him to India. During their conversations, highly sensitive and confidential information used to be shared."

The BJP spokesperson cited Mirza as stating that the highly sensitive and confidential information was shared not just once but five times by Hamid Ansari and this information was used against India. "India is playing a leading role in the campaign against terrorism all over the world. And the Congress government invited such a person to visit India five times between 2005-11 and confidential information about the country was shared," Bhatia claimed, as quoted by ANI.