SP leader says Pulwama a BJP 'conspiracy' for votes

After the Congress, a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader on Thursday termed the terror attack in Pulwama a "conspiracy" by the BJP for votes and said that the incident will be investigated if there is a change of guard at the Centre after the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking at a party sponsored event at Saifai in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district, about 300 km from here, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said that the paramilitary forces were "anguished" over the tragedy.

"The jawans were killed for votes... they were sent on ordinary buses... it was a conspiracy," Yadav said.

The SP leader said the incident will be thoroughly investigated in an event of a change of guard at the Centre.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed the remarks and sought an apology from Yadav.

"It is shameful... it is a humiliation of our forces... Ram Gopal Yadav must apologise for his remarks... the people of the country will never forgive those who doubt the valour of our armed forces," Adityanath said in Gorakhpur, his home town.

Earlier, senior Congress leader B K Hari Prasad had expressed similar views. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah had also alleged that the terror attack was a conspiracy.

49 CRPF jawans were martyred when a Jaise-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist rammed an explosion-laden car into one of the buses carrying the jawans to Srinagar last month.