BJP protests Shinde's remark, calls him 'mentally unstable'

Jaipur, Jan 21: Hundreds of BJP supporters organised a protest rally here on Sunday afternoon slamming Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's remark accusing the BJP and RSS of encouraging Hindu terrorism and demanded his resignation. Though protesters attempted to go the Birla Auditorium, they were, however, stopped by police almost a kilometre away from the spot.

Describing Shinde as "mentally bankrupt", a senior BJP leader from the state said they would not tolerate any attack on the saffron party and the RSS. He said the statement made by the Union Minister was more dangerous and defamed the saffron colour in the national flag of India.

The leader said while the BJP was trying to stress issues like inflation and corruption in the next Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, which he said had failed to give good governance, was trying to play communal cards ahead of the polls. He said the people of the country would give "mentally unstable" people like Shinde electric shock through voting in the next general polls. He said the BJP would ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek the Home Minister's resignation.

The angry BJP leaders also termed the Congress's Chintan Shivir, held in the state capital, a flop show. The saffron workers also burned an effigy of Shinde and damaged some posters of newly appointed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

Vasundhara Raje, former Rajasthan Chief Minister and currently the Leader of Opposition, while condemning Shinde's comment, said the country was suffering because of corruption, communalism, unemployment and terrorism and the Home Minister was trying to divert the attention from the failures of his party.

OneIndia News