BJP, Congress in war of words over Rahul Gandhi's 'Masood Azhar ji' comment

Call it a goof up, slip of tongue or a sarcastic jibe at the BJP but Congress President Rahul Gandhi has given an opportunity to the ruling party to target him as he referred to the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as "Masood Azhar ji" during his speech at a party event.

NEW DELHI: The BJP Monday latched on to Rahul Gandhi's reference to Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief as "Masood Azhar ji" to throw "Rahul loves terrorists" barb at the Congress president, while the opposition party hit back accusing the BJP of deliberately twisting his comments made with sarcasm.

While addressing booth workers of the Congress at a function here, Gandhi raked up the release of terrorist Masood Azhar by the Vajpayee dispensation in 1999 in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane. It is when Gandhi referred to the JeM chief as "Masood Azhar ji", in a remark termed as "sarcasm" by the Congress.

Gandhi noted it was Azhar who was responsible for the killing of 40 CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama attack on February 14.

"Aapko yaad hoga jab inki pichli sarkar thi, to aircraft me Masood Azhar ji ke saath baithkar, jo aaj National Security Advisor hain Ajit Doval, Masood Azhar ko jaker Kandahar me hawale karke agaye the (You would remember that during their (NDA) last government, current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went to Kandahar to hand over Masood Azhar)," Gandhi said.


Targeting the Congress chief, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Come on Rahul Gandhi Ji!  Earlier it was the likes of Digvijay Ji who called Osama Ji and Hafiz Saeed Sahab. Now you are saying 'Masood Azhar Ji'. What is happening to Congress Party?"

Another Union Minister Smriti Irani also took a swipe at Gandhi.

“What is common between Rahul Gandhi and Pakistan? Their love for terrorists. Please note Rahul ji’s reverence for terrorist Masood Azhar - a testimony to #RahulLovesTerrorists,” she alleged.

Meanwhile, the Congress accused the BJP and a section of the media of "deliberately" twisting the "Masood sarcasm" of Gandhi and asked if NSA Ajit Doval did not escort and Masood Azhar to Kandahar when he was released.

Congress Media in-charge Randeep Surjewala wrote on Twitter: "2 questions to BJP & select Bhakt Media, who deliberately seek to twist the ‘Masood’ sarcasm of Rahulji-: 1 Did NSA Doval not escort & release terrorist Masood Azhar in Kandahar? 2 Did Modiji not invite Pak's rogue ISI to investigate Pathankot terror attack?"


In turn, Surjewala used the hashtag "BJP loves terrorists".

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board IC-814 flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Azhar formed JeM after his release from jail. Since then, JeM, based in Pakistan, has been involved in terrorist attacks in India.