The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the defensive in Jammu and Kashmir since the arrest of a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Talib Hussain Shah, as the party is accused of having made him in charge of its social media cell on May 9 this year.
As pictures of arrested LeT terrorist Talib Hussain Shah with BJP leaders, including J&K party president Ravinder Raina, started going viral, Congress accused the BJP of harbouring and sheltering militants.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the defensive in Jammu and Kashmir since the arrest of a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Talib Hussain Shah, as the party is accused of having made him in charge of its social media cell on May 9 this year.
On July 3, J&K Police arrested the LeT militant after he was captured by villagers in Jammu바카라s Reasi district, along with his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar. Dar hails from south Kashmir바카라s Pulwama district, while Talib belongs to Rajouri district of Jammu.
The villagers of Tukson Dhok in the Reasi district of Jammu captured the two after they reached the area to take shelter. Two AK rifles, seven grenades, a pistol and a huge quantity of ammunition were recovered from their possession.
바카라In the recent past, it has been observed that LeT and their commanders staying across (the LoC) have continuously tried to revive terrorist activities in the Chenab Valley and the Rajouri-Poonch regions (of Jammu). As a result, they have managed to revive some over-ground workers,바카라 Jammu police chief ADGP Mukesh Singh told media persons in Jammu soon after Shah바카라s arrest.
He said the police and other security agencies were after Talib Hussain Shah for some time as the main accused in the Rajouri blast case.
He added, 바카라We were able to push him (Shah) down to the remotest area of the Pir Panjals, as a result of which the local villagers helped us nab these two terrorists.바카라
Police said Shah was involved in a series of 바카라sticky bomb바카라 explosions in Rajouri. They said he was part of efforts being made by LeT handlers in Pakistan to revive terrorism in Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi and other parts of Jammu.
Rajouri district바카라s Kotranka town was rocked by twin blasts on March 26, right after a blast each on April 19 and 24. Two people were wounded in each of these blasts.
As pictures of Talib Hussain with BJP leaders, including J&K party president Ravinder Raina, started going viral, Congress accused the BJP of harbouring and sheltering militants. Speaking to the media in Reasi바카라s Mahore area, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said Shah was briefly associated with a political party and had also posed as a media person, without naming any party.
Singh said such elements would continue to make attempts to take cover anywhere, to carry forward their anti-national activities, and that the police were duty-bound to nab them. The police are questioning him about his motives behind joining the political party, he added.
On May 9, BJP바카라s Minority Morcha president Sheikh Bashir appointed Shah in the party바카라s IT and social media cell for Jammu. 바카라Mr. Talib Hussain Shah, at Draj Kotranka, Budhan, district Rajouri, shall be the new IT & Social Media In-charge of BJP Minority Mocha, Jammu province, with immediate effect,바카라 read the order issued by the BJP Minority Morcha (J&K).
BJP says Shah was neither a primary nor basic member of the party.
바카라Yes, he has frequently met our party president Ravinder Raina as a journalist. But when we heard that he was arrested, we realised his basic intention was to do a reconnaissance of the BJP office and keep a tab on activities of BJP leaders and their movement, and share the details with Pakistan and militants,바카라 says BJP spokesman and former Jammu Bar Association president Abhinav Sharma.
He adds, 바카라His (Shah바카라s) frequent visits to the BJP office were part of a conspiracy. BJP president Ravinder Raina, who speaks against Pakistan and militants, has already received threats on social media and WhatsApp, as well as threat letters. We see Shah바카라s visit to the BJP as a conspiracy to keep a tab on the movement of Ravinder Raina and forward the same to Pakistan and militants.
바카라It is being said that Shah was given charge of the social media cell of BJP. This is being investigated. We바카라re also enquiring into his claim that he had been appointed the BJP IT Cell chief.
바카라Shah belonged to a militant organisation. According to the latter바카라s plan, he sought entry into the BJP office as a media person. Later, the frequency of his visits increased. Subsequently, he would pose for snaps with top BJP leaders. That doesn바카라t mean he was with the BJP. It is an alarming situation that a terrorist has entered the BJP office posing as a journalist.바카라
About his pictures with BJP leaders, Sharma says Shah was a frequent visitor as a journalist at the party office. 바카라During these visits, he got acquainted with the IT Cell in-charge, who might have given him some responsibility. But no such appointment officially made by the BJP,바카라 Sharma claims.
Sharma said it will be investigated if Sheikh Bashir had appointed Shah the IT Cell in-charge without consulting other BJP leaders.
Since Shah바카라s arrest, BJP leaders have appeared in several press conferences as the Congress has gone on the offensive, highlighting the issue daily and uploading pictures of Shah with BJP leaders.
State BJP president Ravinder Raina says, 바카라Talib Hussain Shah and his associates would visit the BJP office to cover press conferences. He (Shah) would in fact also come to cover our political rallies.
바카라Security agencies have got pictures and videos from Shah바카라s phone that shows his reconnaissance of the BJP office in Jammu. He has also sent those pictures and videos across the LoC to the LeT chief.바카라
He adds, 바카라Security agencies are investigating the case. Terrorists want to target big leaders, especially from the BJP. I have myself got threats over phone and video from Pakistani terrorists in PoK. Luckily, police and security forces have so far foiled all terrorist conspiracies. This includes Shah바카라s visits to the BJP office. Whenever I would visit far-off areas impacted by terrorism, Shah would forward details of my movement to his handlers in PoK. It shows that terrorists have changed tack.바카라
He also made an appeal to the J&K Lt. Governor to ensure that Shah바카라s case is investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to find out who all were on his target list.
Raina says, 바카라Whenever I toured Rajouri, Poonch or Kashmir, Shah would monitor it himself, revealing he was coming up with a terrorist plot. Some videos have been found in Shah바카라s phone that are of far serious nature. I won바카라t discuss these any further because of their security implication. His arrest has busted a huge terror plot.바카라
Congress and other Opposition parties are unimpressed with BJP바카라s defence. J&K Pradesh Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma says Shah was holding an important position within the BJP in the Jammu division and the party doesn바카라t deny it either.
바카라He was involved in blasts and killings. Such people are holding high ranks within the BJP. This is a very serious situation,바카라 Sharma tells Outlook. In an official press release, the Congress says it has taken a strong exception to the presence of 바카라dreaded terrorists in the ranks of BJP and asked the ruling party to explain to the nation how these dreaded terrorists have been enjoying its patronage by getting important assignments in the party바카라.
The statement also questions the BJP for not only giving entry to such anti-national and anti-social elements, but also assigning them important positions in the party.
It says, 바카라The party owes an explanation to the nation for such an irresponsible conduct, especially as the ruling party with easy access to intelligence inputs about credentials of such anti-national elements.
바카라A dreaded LeT terrorist is a prominent leader of the IT Cell of BJP in J&K, who was spotted in a photograph with even the Union home minister. How can a simple denial by BJP without a fair probe into his links be sufficient? The Indian National Congress does not believe in playing politics over serious national issues like terrorism. However, multiple revelations of close links between the BJP and individuals caught in terror activities force us to ask some straight questions of a ruling party that loses no opportunity to preach to Indians about nationalism.
바카라Former BJP leader and ex-sarpanch Tariq Ahmad Mir was arrested in 2020 in connection with procuring weapons for Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu, who had previously been arrested with DSP Davinder Singh and accused of supplying weapons to terrorists. The NIA has confirmed that Mir is Davinder Singh바카라s associate. The truth would have come out, had the Davinder Singh inquiry been carried out to its conclusion. But it was halted midway.바카라
It also raised questions about BJP바카라s dubious distinction of having released dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar in 1999 during the Kandahar hijacking. Azhar went on to lay the foundation of Jaish-e-Muhammad terror group that was responsible for the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks that caused hundreds of deaths.
바카라JeM also masterminded the 2019 Pulwama attack in which 44 CRPF personnel died after 200 kg of high explosives, including RDX, somehow made it past multiple security checkpoints. Why an inquiry into Pulwama has not been held remains a mystery,바카라 Congress asks.
바카라There are pictures of terrorist Shah receiving an award from the J&K BJP chief. I am exhausted of busting BJP lies, but the problem is BJP never gets tired of lying,바카라 says Congress leader Salman Nizami.