Martyred jawan’s wife fumes over Rahul’s ‘Masood Azhar ji’ remark, says its an ‘insult’

Kanpur, Mar 13: The widow of CRPF's Vijay Kumar Maurya, who was martyred in Pulwama terrorist attack, has expressed disappointment over Congress president referring to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief as "Masood Azhar ji".

Azhar's outfit plotted the Pulwama terrorist attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14.

Vijay Kumar Maurya's wife, Vijaylakshmi, dubbed Rahul Gandhi's remark as unfortunate and said it was an insult to the martyrs, an Amar Ujala report said. She said hardly a few days have passed and such things are being said, adding that it has made it clear how the martyrs would be honoured in the country in future.

Vijaylakshmi called for unity among all the citizens of the country against the malice of terrorism.

Meanwhile, a war of words erupted between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi referring to terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad's chief as "Masood Azhar ji".

Union Minister Smriti Irani said the nation is shocked that Rahul Gandhi addressed terrorist Masood Azhar with respect. Irani also took to Twitter to lash out 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 tweeted on Monday (March 11).

Addressing a meeting of Congress workers in New Delhi on Monday, Gandhi had attacked the BJP, saying, "These people with 56-inch chest, you would recall, in their previous government, the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went in an aircraft with Masood Azhar ji and handed over Masood Azhar there in Kandahar."

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.