Farooq Abdullah should be charged with sedition: VHP

Varanasi, Oct 17 (UNI) Terming those demanding clemency for Mohd Afzal Guru, the mastermind behind the 2001 parliament attack as 'traitors', the VHP today demanded that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah be charged with sedition over his recent statements on the issue.

''By stating that execution of death sentence on Afzal will see Jammu and Kashmir burn, Dr Abdullah has shown he is an ally of jehadi terror groups. Hence, he should be charged with sedition and prosecuted''. VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia demanded addressing a news conference here this evening.

Launching a scathing attack on other political parties and human rights activists demanding clemency for Afzal, Dr Togadia said such individuals and groups, especially Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajsekhar Reddy and his Jammu and Kashmir counterpart Ghulam Nabi Azad, should be dealt with as traitors.

The VHP leader further alleged that the ruling UPA was working religiously on clemency for Afzal, keeping in mind its political interest in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

''If pseudo-secularists are working for clemency to Afzal to garner votes of minorities, they should also be afraid of a political backlash by Hindus in the country,'' Dr Togadia observed.

The saffron outfit leader even alleged that efforts were on by the UPA to permanently abolish capital punishment for life imprisonment to save jehadi terror groups waging a war against India.'' ''If any such conspiracy succeeded, VHP will launch a vigorous nationwide movement,'' he cautioned.

Queried as to which of the two, 'Islamic terrorism' or 'religious conversion' by Christian missionaries was more detrimental to Hindus, Dr Togadia said presently the former was more dangerous to Hindus.

UNI ARS VS SAM HS1946