Shehzad Poonawalla (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress after its MP Imran Masood referred to suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi as a “misguided youth”.Accusing the Opposition party of prioritising “vote bank niti over rashtra niti”, he said the Congress had repeatedly attempted to soften the perception of terror acts for political gain.Reacting to Congress leader’s remarks, Poonawalla wrote on X: “On a day that a chilling new video of suicide bomber Umar Nabi has emerged where he is seen justifying his act of terror before carrying out the attack near Delhi’s Red Fort, Congress MP Imran Masood calls him “bhatka hua yuva” (misguided youth).” The Congress MP has described suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi as a “misguided youth”, stressing that his actions were against both Islam and the nation.“The video that has come (of accused Umar Ul Nabi), I do not agree with that video at all. Suicide is not permissible in Islam under any circumstances. By killing innocent people along with yourself, you are acting against the country. These are misguided people whose words cannot present the picture of Islam,” he said speaking to reporters. Investigators recovered the footage during the probe, in which Umar Un Nabi is seen calmly defending what he calls a “martyrdom operation,” an attempt to justify the suicide blast he would later execute near the Red Fort.In the undated video, he argues that suicide attacks are “misunderstood” and claims such operations are carried out with absolute certainty of death as an act of religious duty. Sitting alone in a room, he speaks without hesitation, insisting that the act he is preparing for should not be viewed as suicide, but as a form of martyrdom. Officials believe the video was created to brainwash others and radicalise more educated youth into joining the terror module.Poonawalla also alleged that other Opposition leaders had done the same in the past by downplaying terror and defending those involved in such acts.“Earlier Hussain Dalwai, Chidambaram, Mehbooba Mufti, Tariq Anwar, Abu Azmi of SP labelled the terrorists as innocent or justified their acts by saying ‘circumstances’ were responsible,” Poonwalla further wrote in his post. Poonawalla alleged that the Congress has a long history of downplaying terror for political gain and pointed to past instances to support his charge. He further wrote on X: “This is nothing but keeping Votebank Niti above Rashtra Niti. Congress has become Muslim League Maowadi Congress. From defending Afzal & Yakub & Batla terrorists to shielding Naxals and justifying Umar’s actions.”Last week, former home minister P Chidambaram had questioned the Centre over what he called the rising threat of “homegrown terrorism” following the arrests linked to the blast.Similarly, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had alleged that the government was projecting “false normalcy” in Jammu & Kashmir and claimed the national security situation had worsened, citing the Red Fort incident as an example.The Red Fort blast on November 10 killed 15 people and injured several others. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has taken over the probe, has so far arrested multiple accused linked to a terror module inspired by groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and ISIS and is investigating the full conspiracy behind the attack.