Digvijaya Singh said he had "opposed religious fundamentalism" at the event where he praised Zakir Naik.
Highlights
- Video from 2012 shows Congress leader praising the cleric
- Digvijaya Singh says he was appealing for communal harmony at the event
- 2 of the 7 terrorists in Dhaka reportedly inspired by Naik's speeches
The BJP has attacked the Congress over a video of its senior leader Digvijaya Singh sharing the stage with controversial Mumbai-based preacher Zakir Naik, whose speeches are under scrutiny after reports that two of the seven terrorists who brutally killed 20 diners at a Dhaka cafe last weekend were inspired by them.
Bangladesh has asked India to examine Zakir Naik's speeches and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today said that the government will study them.
At an event organized by Zakir Naik to promote communal harmony in 2012 Digvijaya Singh had said, "I am happy that you are spreading the message of peace across the world... you can build bridges between Hindus and Muslims," and also, "I congratulate you, I had heard about the power of your congregation, now I have seen it."
BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao today said the focus on whether the cleric's preaching had promoted terror was "a matter of great concern."
Referring to Digvijaya Singh's presence on stage with Zakir Naik, Mr Rao also attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, saying, "Whether it is Digvijaya Singh or any other Congress leader including the top leadership...Sonia Gandhi we all remember that she wept not for the security personnel who were killed in terror attacks. She wept for the terrorists who actually killed security officers in the Batla house encounter."
Digvijaya Singh said today that he had "appealed for communal harmony and opposed religious fundamentalism" at the event.
The Congress leader also tweeted,
"The Congress has believed there is no place in our society for extremism. If anyone does anything against law, it must be acted upon by the government and strict punishment should be given," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"I disagree that I inspired this act of killing innocent people", Zakir Naik has said in a video shared on WhatsApp. The 49-year-old cleric heads the Islamic Research Foundation and is barred from entering the UK, Canada and Malaysia because of his incendiary speeches that have included a defense of Osama bin Laden. His satellite TV channel, Peace India, is banned in India.
"How much Naik's teachings influenced the terrorists, that is to be investigated. We are investigating the whole matter," said a Bangladesh minister.