BJP threatens parliament ruckus to force Shinde out

Keeping up its demand for sacking Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde over his "Hindu terrorism" and "saffron terrorism" remarks, the BJP Thursday said it will create such a situation in parliament that will force Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to remove him.

Speaking at a rally here as part of its protests against Shinde's remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party's  (BJP) new president Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded an apology from top Congress leaders over Shinde's remarks.

The BJP "will fight the issue in both houses of parliament," said Rajnath Singh, alleging the prime minister "will not have guts" to sack Shinde till Congress chief Sonia Gandhi speaks on the issue.

"What is your (Gandhi) view on Shinde's remarks? If you do not give directions to Manmohan-ji that Shinde-ji should be sacked, I want to tell you, we will create a situation in both houses of parliament that Manmohan-ji will be forced to sack Shinde-ji. No power on earth will be able to stop it," said the newly-installed BJP chief.

The budget session of parliament is expected to begin in second half of February.

Underlining that the BJP's protest was not symbolic but will "go to the logical end", Rajnath Singh said while the party did not expect the prime minister to speak as he "reacts with delay", Sonia Gandhi should have reacted.

"He (Shinde) has raised such a big question on the country's prestige, even then there is silence. No power will be able to save him (from sacking), the BJP will create such a situation in the country," said Rajnath Singh.

Sushma Swaraj said the prime minister and Congress chief should "apologise" for Shinde's remarks and he should be sacked.

"Till the time an apology comes on (Shinde's) statement, our agitation will continue," she said.

Asking Shinde  not to cross his limits, Sushma Swaraj said politics can be practised to the extent that it benefits the Congress or even harms the BJP, but "should not be taken to a level where national interest is affected".

"You have hurt national interest at a time when Pakistan is coming and beheading our soldiers. You are not attacking Pakistan but attacking the main opposition party," she claimed.

"What do you want to tell the world? There might be terror camps in Pakistan, but here the main opposition party runs a terror camp! Do you want to say, terrorists are sitting in parliament? The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is heading a terror organisation?" she asked.

Sushma Swaraj accused the Congress of "double speak" on Shinde's remarks, and said one of its general secretaries had justified Shinde's remarks and another had sought to distance the party from them.

Shinde had referred to Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism during the Congress conclave in Jaipur Sunday.

"Whether it is BJP or RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), their training camps are promoting Hindu terrorism," he had said.