Congress to challenge Swaraj charge of Government role in bomb blasts

New Delhi, July 29 : The Congress is ready to resort to all options including legal steps to refute the statement of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj charging the Congress led United Progressive Government of conspiring to divert attention from the cash-for-vote scandal through the blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore. Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said his party would explore all options, including legal steps, against the "irresponsible statement" by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

Reacting strongly to the BJP leaders charge, he said: "The BJP has lost its mental balance. What they said was shameful. First they lowered the dignity of the Lok Sabha by bringing in cash and now they are maligning the entire country by making such irresponsible statements."

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had on Monday alleged that the blast were an attempt to win back Muslim votes which were against the Indo-US nuclear deal.

She said: "It appears to be an attempt to win-over Muslim votes which got divided after the pro-American deal pursued by the government."

When asked whether she was alleging that the Congress-led UPA government had a role in the blasts, she said, "I have said what I wanted, it is for you all to interpret. These are not off-the-cuff remarks."

She said: "Attacks in two BJP-ruled states in a span of two days and within four days of the UPA government winning the trust vote have some meaning, and what I am saying is proved by enough circumstantial evidence."

Three BJP Members of Parliament - Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora - alleged on the day UPA government proved its majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha on July 22, that Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel had bribed them to abstain from voting.

The three waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha and alleged they had been offered Rs 9 crore each for the purpose.

A seven-member committee has been formed to probe the matter.

She said the absence of an anti-terror law like Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was the prime reason for the increased terrorist activity in the country.

"Let them replace the name and not call it POTA, but the country today badly needs an anti-terror law. There is this misconception that POTA is against the Muslims, it is in fact against the mujrims (culprits)," she said.

ANI