Congress MP reiterates the party's proposed ban on Bajrang Dal!
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New Delhi: Congress in Karnataka will definitely ban Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the extreme right-wing outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi said on Saturday. He said that as per Congress' manifesto, the party would ban the organisation if it came to power in the state, NDTV reported.
The chief of Congress's minority department, Pratapgarhi, told NDTV that Congress had the blessings of "Bajrang Bali" (Lord Hanuman) as well as the Sufi Saints. The party is against those who do hate politics and violence, and therefore, it will ban Bajrang Dal, as same as the Centre banned the Popular Front of India.
"..take strong action against organisations like Bajrang Dal that promote enmity and hatred among different communities," Congress election manifesto in the state read. It also promised to protect minorities from "communal violence" and "false cases."
Bajrang Dal is mostly linked with cases of vigilantism, violence and moral policing.
However, earlier, when the party released a move to ban in its manifesto, BJP, as well as Narendra Modi himself, issued condemnation. Modi accused Congress of insulting Lord Hanuman. This made the party clarify that there was no proposal to ban Bajrang Dal since banning an organisation like the said vigilante group comes under the Centre.
"We have mentioned both the PFI and the Bajrang Dal in our manifesto. This includes all (radical) outfits. Banning an outfit is not possible by a state government. The Bajrang Dal cannot be banned by the Karnataka government," Veerappa Moily, Congress leader cum former Karnataka CM, said last week.
Also, a former union minister, Moily, added that though Supreme Court has observed that hate politics must stop, Congress have no proposal to ban the Hindutva vigilante group, Bajrang Dal.
However, when PM Modi accused Congress of insulting Hanuman, Congress hit back, accusing him of hurting the religious sentiments of devotees by equating Lord Hanuman with the Bajrang Dal. Congress had demanded an apology from the PM.