For the sake of one vote of Independent MLA Engineer Abdul Rashid in Rajya Sabha elections, the Congress today took major U-turn on the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru describing as “mistake’’ the then UPA Government’s decision not to return mortal remains of the convict and allow last meeting of his kith and kin with him.

The virtual Congress apology came in two page statement signed by five party MLAs, which was delivered to Engineer Rashid to secure his vote for Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for Rajya Sabha elections and ensure his victory.

The vote of Engineer Rashid was crucial for the victory of Azad. Rashid had always raised the issue of Guru’s hanging, returning his mortal remains to the family and denial of opportunity to his family members to meet him in Tihar jail before the hanging in and outside the Assembly.

“The views of Engineer Rashid regarding allowing a last meeting to the kith and kin of Afzal Guru are genuine and based on humanitarian values and the same (not allowing the meeting) was a mistake,’’ the statement, which was released to media by Engineer Rashid before casting his vote openly in favour of Azad, said.

The statement went on to say that the return of mortal remains of Afzal Guru is a humanitarian issue and his (Rashid’s) resolution in this regard could have been looked into from a humanitarian angle. Rashid had brought a resolution to this effect in the previous Assembly.

The statement has been signed by Ghulam Mohammad Saroori and Vikar Rasool Wani, both former MLAs, Mohammad Amin, Haji Abdul Rashid and Gulzar Ahmad Wani, all five MLAs in the present Assembly, which is under suspended animation.

It was the then Union Home Minister and Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde in the UPA Government, who had openly rejected the demand for return of mortal remains of Guru and justified denial of meeting of kith and kin before hanging of the convict. Azad was Health and Family Welfare Minister in the same Government.

Azad evaded reply to a question on Congress U-turn on Afzal Guru in his brief inter-action with media after his victory in the Rajya Sabha elections.