Congress slams Rajnath Singh for having links with Ramdev's assaulter

New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): Congress Party on Sunday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader Rajnath Singh for having links with yoga guru Baba Ramdev's assailant, after his photograph with Singh appeared in the media.

Talking to mediapersons in New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi mocked the BJP for including tainted ministers in their party and coordinating the attack.

"Look I agree with the statement of Rajnath Singh that his party does not look at the character certificate of a person before he/she joins the Bharatiya Janata Party. When the BJP decided to join tainted minister Babu Singh Kushwaha and now Kamran Siddiqui, who has joined Bharatiya Janata Party by the assistance of Rajnath Singh then it is correct that they do not need a character certificate," said Alvi.

Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday was heckled when person named Kamran Siddiqui threw black ink at him immediately after the conclusion of his news conference.

The Congress spokesperson further blamed BJP for trying to divide the country on communal lines.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to create a tense atmosphere in the country. Yashwant Sinha had once said that there might be a civil war in the country. Now, a day before yesterday a leader of Bharatiya Janata party had also said the same. These kinds of irresponsible statements will meet the same fate," added Alvi.

The BJP sees the move of the Union cabinet's decision to grant 4.5 percent separate reservation to Muslims within the 27 percent reservation for backward Hindus in government jobs and educational institutions, as a purposeful intention to begin a civil war in the country based on religion and caste.

Alvi further said that the campaign tour of Congress Party Chief, Sonia Gandhi along with daughter Priyanka Gandhi and son Rahul Gandhi would boost the confidence of the candidates trying their fate in the upcoming Assembly elections in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state.

"Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi will campaign for the upcoming assembly elections (in Uttar Pradesh) and our candidates and party will be benefited. The party will decide the places they would visit for campaigning and we cannot discuss it with media," added Alvi.

As per media reports, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be on a three-day visit beginning from January 16, to her brother and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary constituency of Amethi.

Uttar Pradesh elections, spread through a seven phase polling in the months of February and March, are seen as an opportunity for Congress party to re-establish foothold in its erstwhile political base in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

Uttar Pradesh will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March, and the poll results are expected to broadly indicate trends for 2014 general elections. (ANI)