Rahul stands by his remarks on Hindu terror

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary is standing by his comments on Hindu terror leaked by WikiLeaks. The Congress party issued a statement on Friday saying that India should remain vigilant against terrorism of all kinds.

"Rahul Gandhi's view is that terrorism and communalism of all types is threat to India. We need to remain vigilant, against acts of terrorism of all kinds no matter who commits them," the press statement said.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, after issuing the statement, attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that it had a habit of making a communal and political issue out of everything.

"Fighting terrorism should be the responsibility of all citizens. Fingers are being raised on those who attained martyrdom. Those who escorted terrorists to Kandahar, those who were found wanting to take action when Parliament was under attack are raising these questions," Tewari said.

The latest WikiLeaks cables on Friday revealed that Rahul Gandhi had voiced fears about the growth of Hindu extremists groups to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer in 2009.

The cable contained details of Rahul's conversation with the envoy at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in July 2009 in honour of visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"Responding to the Ambassador's query about Lashkar-e-Toiba's activities in the region and immediate threat to India, Gandhi said there was evidence of some support for the group among certain elements in India's indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.

"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim community," it said.

Rahul's comments have come under sharp attack from the BJP. Speaking to CNN-IBN, BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay lashed out at Rahul saying that he was dividing the country on communal lines.

"I think Rahul is dividing India on communal lines. He thinks if he speaks against Hindus, Muslims will vote for him in Uttar Pradesh. This is most unfortunate for the country's future," he said.

A livid BJP also said that the Gandhi scion is helping Pakistan's cause.