PTI By

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today stoked a major controvery by accusing BJP and RSS of fanning Hindu terrorism, a charge which drew angry reaction from both of them.

"Reports have come during investigation that BJP and RSS conduct terror training camps to spread terrorism...Bombs were planted in Samjhauta express, Mecca Masjid and also a blast was carried out in Malegaon.

"We will have to think about it seriously and will have to remain alert," he said at the AICC meeting here.

As his remarks were slammed by RSS and BJP which termed them as "dangerous" and accused Congress of indulging in "destructive politics", Shinde stuck to his stand, saying, "This has come so many times in the papers...It is not a new thing that I have said today.

"This is saffron terrorism that I have talked about. It is the same thing and nothing new. It has come in the media several times," the Home Minister said.

To a question if it was Hindu terrorism or saffron terrorism, he said, "This is saffron terrorism (that) I have stated."

Charging Congress with having a "destructive mindset which was reflected in the Home Minister's statement", BJP said it was "very objectionable". "It is not only unacceptable but dangerous also," party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"There cannot be anything worse that the country's Home Minister giving such an objectionable statement to disrupt peace and harmony of the country," Naqvi told reporters in Delhi.

"Sometimes I feel that Congress has become a group of cowards (kayaron ki jamaat). I am terming Congress as a group of cowards because repeated terror strikes are happening in the country, terrorists are mushrooming here.

"They abolished the tool to fight terrorism," he said in an apparent reference to scrapping of POTA.

Attacking the Home Minister, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav described his statement as "highly irresponsible" and said he had made the remarks only to please his party bosses.

"If a Congress leader had said something like this it wouldn't have mattered that much, but if the Home Minister of the country is saying something like this, it is highly irresponsible. This is all about playing votebank politics," he said.

Shinde said that infiltration from Pakistan, insurgency in the northeast and Naxalism were the main challenges before the country.

"Infiltration is from Pakistan, insurgency is in some states in the northeast and Naxalism is another challenge.

Environment is being created against peace but the department will do its complete work," he said.

The Home Minister said a solution to Naxalism could through initiation of development in the affected areas.

"Facilities will have be provided to bring peace in Naxal-affected areas," he said.

Shinde said that Congress is the only party which follows the fundamental principle of secularism and has given opportunities to several members from dalit, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and minority communities to rise.

"Our leader Sonia Gandhi gave me, a dalit, an opportunity to become Leader of the House in Lok Sabha and there are many names from SC, ST, OBC, minority communities who were made ministers and given other opportunities.

"The communities have been adequately represented in the government," he said.

The Home Minister underlined the importance of rise of regional parties and said that if any leader who parted ways with Congress in the past wanted to join again, it should be taken into consideration.